


Beginnings and endings

by runningfromrealitytoanime



Series: Haikyuu X Hunger Games AU [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, F/M, Hanging Tree, Happy Ending, M/M, Mental Abuse, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Third Part of a Series, War, if we burn you burn with us!, it all comes to an end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 50,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24452074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runningfromrealitytoanime/pseuds/runningfromrealitytoanime
Summary: Iwaizumi and the rest of the Victors are now recovering in the elusive District 13, a District thought to have long been destroyed by the Capitol. Led by the mysterious and cunning Kita Shinsuke, the District has offered them refuge after the destruction of District 12. However, Iwaizumi must now make a choice as war begins to break out across Panem. In the midst of the chaos, Iwaizumi discovers a horrifying truth; his best friend, Oikawa Tooru was being held captive in the Capitol and has been tortured there for the past year.Will he be the Mockingjay symbol of the rebellion and abandon all hope of saving his childhood best friend or will he defy the odds and find him once more?The third part and final instalment of the Kings of the Arena series.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou, Semi Eita/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Series: Haikyuu X Hunger Games AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698532
Comments: 122
Kudos: 130





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the Kings of the Arena series!!! If you guys don't know, this is the third instalment of a three-part series so if you're a bit confused on what's going on, you can read the first two stories Kings of the Arena and The Strongest Challengers which have been put together under the series folder for this under Haikyuu x Hunger games au (yup so original haha!).
> 
> After much debate, I have decided to put up the first chapter of this story to spur me on in writing. Instead of just sitting down and not doing shit because of the excuse of not having any motivation to write, I'm going to sit myself down and put this out there. At least that way, I would be able to do something productive and by seeing how many people like this, it would spur me on to write more (that is the plan anyways). The initial update may range from once to twice a week but depending on how motivated I get to write, it may be increased to three times a week. Most of my updates will be on the weekend, with there being an update on Wednesday if I do post twice a week. 
> 
> Just a little warning: there will be scenes of torture in this story so if you're not comfortable reading those, you can skip the bits that have Oikawa in them after the (....) division.
> 
> To those who have supported me through the first two stories, I thank you for being my support throughout these times. 
> 
> To those who are about to pick up this story, I thank you for making time to read this or to even hit the story.
> 
> With that said, here is the story.
> 
> Enjoy!

The sound of fists pounding into a heavy bag filled the air, once in a while punctuated by a yell and grunt. The pounding continued rhythmically for an hour despite the fact it was three in the morning, a single light lit in the combat training room as Iwaizumi stood in the centre, his sweat-soaked body bathed in light as he punched over and over.

_My name is Iwaizumi Hajime._

_I survived the Hunger Games._

_I’m now living in District 13._

_My best friend is…_

Iwaizumi let out a shout as he missed the punching bag, his hands colliding with the pillar behind it. He groaned as blood began to pour from his split knuckles, dripping onto the concrete floor below him. Iwaizumi let out a silent sob as he crouched onto the ground, his fist hurting as a shadow appeared before him and a damp cloth pressed onto his knuckles.

“Oi, Iwaizumi. I told you no more punching bags at this time. I know you’re frustrated, but breaking your body isn’t going to help you,” Matsukawa sighed as he began the messy process of dabbing the cloth over Iwaizumi’s knuckles. The boy hissed as his mentor wiped the blood away, water seeping into his skin as he tried not to grunt. He had been through worse injuries so why couldn’t he even take pain like this?

Oikawa must be suffering much more, somewhere out there in the Capitol.

Somehow, he had a feeling his friend was alive. He didn’t care if he was following a hunch from a dead man or that even if he was alive, there was no way to rescue him. The only reason he even got up every day, went to the mess hall to grab a bite and just did something was because of the will of wanting to get his best friend back.

Not like his PTSD was helping either.

After his second Hunger Games, Iwaizumi had been plagued with even worse nightmares. He could hear Nekomata screaming as he was drowned in lava, Futakuchi’s shouting as he begged for them to run. Moniwa’s wails would fill his ears whenever he was in a closed space, begging to return to his Mentor while each sound of a gun firing reminded him of the ceiling caving above them and the sight of his Mentor getting trapped under the rubble. It was a miracle Matsukawa had been retrieved from it at all, alive and with a few broken bones that healed quickly.

It took him a while to accept that he was now a refuge and that his hometown was no more. District 13 turned out to be pretty much an underground version of any District, its citizens all dressed in the same uniform as one another going about their duties. When the Capitol had blown up District 13 in the past, the citizens had managed to evacuate underground in time and hid from them until now. It was a mystery why the Capitol didn’t did a proper job in double-checking to see if they had thoroughly destroyed the District that manufactured their nuclear weapons of the past.

All citizens in the District were trained in hand to hand combat and arms fire since they were twelve. Even before that, children will be sat down and taught how to do basic martial arts and the skills needed to disarm bombs. Seeing small children running around chanting how they were going to rebel against the Capitol wasn’t a soothing sight at all, making Iwaizumi think that District 13 was no better than the Capitol in grooming young people to become killers.

Out of their initial group, only he, Matsukawa, Moniwa, Aone and be damned, Ushijima, had made it out of the Arena. The rest had been unaccounted for or in the worse case scenario, being tortured in the Capitol like they were doing with Oikawa. Kita, the ruler of the District had promised to get them back once they had healed up enough to launch a siege on the Capitol but in the meantime, he had some other plans for the Victor.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Iwaizumi snarled as Osamu grunted, “For once, I agree with Atsumu. The Capitol will love to see their favourite Victor alive and well and the Districts would be compelled to rise up and rebel if they see your face. Not all of them have gone into rebellion after what happened with District 12 so now is the chance to make sure they throw the Capitol into chaos.”

“And I will do all the work! I’m great at doing filming despite my looks and it would be great for the Capitol to see one of their most famous people now in the arms of terrorists,” Atsumu grinned as Sakusa sighed, “Anyone associated with you will be killed for your mistakes.”

“Mum and dad are safe in this District and we don’t have any other relatives so we’re cool. Although I do feel a bit sad about our mansion getting blown up; grandma had always been fond of the statues of her naked Greek Gods in the garden,” Atsumu sighed as Sakusa elbowed him in the ribs to shut up.

“Essentially, you want me to be a poster boy?” Iwaizumi grunted before turning to look at Ushijima, “Why don’t he be the one to stand up for us? He’s the most famous Victor of our generation and I’m sure he can deliver better speeches than I can.”

“No. It has to be you. Everything started with you, so you must see it through the end. Or do you think you’re not up to the task?” Ushijima had said as Iwaizumi shut his mouth.

“In exchange, we will be launching a rescue mission to retrieve the captured Victors, but only if all the Districts are able to rise up and join in the fight. Once the Capitol is busy dealing with the riots, we can strike in the heart of their city,” Kita nodded, crossing his arms as he swivelled in his chair. He was in his twenties but already Iwaizumi saw a man who had been groomed to tame even the wildest beasts. Osamu and Atsumu respected him to a fault, the twins being some of the hardest people to control. Ushijima respected him for how he ran the District so efficiently at a young age as well but Iwaizumi couldn’t help but feel with Kita, every action has a consequence.

He had been given two weeks to heal. The others had settled into the District quite nicely, Ushijima having been reunited with Tendou and his fiancé Semi Eita. Moniwa enjoyed tinkering down with the mechanics, allowing the man to break away from the harsh reality of losing his Mentor. The man would cry out every night if it weren’t for Aone keeping him company, the soft giant always wrapping Moniwa in his arms and rocking him to sleep until the man finally went limp. Aone was now an instructor on hand to hand combat for the teenagers, most of them commenting that while he hardly speaks a word, his actions spoke volumes in how good he was in blocking attacks from all sides.

Iwaizumi had become a recluse and avoided just about everyone in the area. Matsukawa had spent quite a time healing in the medbay and his mother and Mrs Oikawa were now healers working with the medical team on site. Osamu had found a friend in Suna and a part-time job in the kitchens, the meals in District 13 being at its best in decades and even Atsumu had found an odd companionship with Sakusa, sticking to the guy like glue as they collected the equipment and data they needed to film what they called “The Recruitment Video.”

“What am I even doing here? I need to…”

“Shut it and go to bed, alright? Your mum is worried about how you always sneak off at night and come back bloody. I may have been released from the med bay but I still need to lay low so please, don’t try and stress me out even more. The situation is already as insane as it is,” Matsukawa huffed as he finally finished cleaning Iwaizumi. He offered a hand to him and lifted him to his feet, Iwaizumi wobbling as he tried to stand his ground as Matsukawa led him out by the hand like a child.

“If anything happens to me, you’re on your own alright so please, don’t do anything to end this old man’s life so quickly.”

…

Oikawa was slowly remembering everything that had happened in the past.

Even though the Capitol possessed the means to return his memory all at once, they thought it would be more thrilling to slowly shock it back into him through various methods of torture. Already Oikawa had almost gotten used to the small electric shocks that ran from his handcuffs into his body, shocking him whenever he tried to close his eyes. He had managed to perfect the art of sleeping awake because of that.

The worst part of the tortures was when he hears Iwaizumi’s voice telling him that he was weak and that he didn’t deserve to live, that it was his fault that Iwaizumi was thrown into the Games once more. Oikawa had remembered snippets of guards speaking of the Victors that broke out of the Arena, Iwaizumi among them although he had no idea if he was alive.

When he finally remembered Iwaizumi, Oikawa had cried with happiness. The sole memories of his best friend smiling at him and guiding him by the hand as children were some of the main reasons he hadn’t gone insane from the torture they had inflicted on him. The Capitol knew that was his weakness and they did everything to exploit that part of him.

Every time a guard comes in to beat Oikawa up, he could see an image of Iwaizumi standing before him. The first time he happened, he thought his friend had come to rescue him for real when he realised that the guard had merely changed his image and voice to sound like him. Iwaizumi would never hit him with a whip and cause scars to run across his body or call him weak, stepping on him like he was dirt.

He wanted to believe that Iwaizumi would come and rescue him.

He wasn’t the only prisoner in the block. Some of the Victors that failed to escape were now being tortured for information about their allies. The cell to his left held a small Tribute that was often dragged out to one of the more special torture chambers, made to beg until they finally drag him out of it. The man had initially fought hard to escaped his captors but now he was a shell of his former self, his hair drooping and the single name of a man named “Hirugami” leaving his mouth every time he spoke. Oikawa never caught sight of his partner, assuming he might be held somewhere else or possibly dead.

To the right was worse. The Avox who had helped him was being tortured despite the fact she couldn’t even speak. The sound of animal yells that could be made without a tongue assaulted Oikawa’s ears, reminding him of the blue-eyed boy who had died for him to live in the Arena. Kageyama Tobio’s face now burned into his mind, of his last words and his blue eyes drilling into him as his mother was tortured next door.

“Oikawa, you ready for the next round?” a voice snarled as Oikawa didn’t lift his head. He knew when he looked up, he would see the face of a monster wearing the face of his best friend and he wasn’t going to yield to it, even if he had to lose a few bones to it. He grunted as he felt a boot connect to his ribs, a hand roughly reaching to grab fistfuls of his hair as the man snarled, “Look at me.”

“Never. You’re not Hajime. You will never be him. He will never hurt me,” Oikawa spat as he spat a glob of saliva onto the man’s face. He merely grinned as he reached into his pocket, Oikawa’s eyes widening as he pulled out a keycard that opened to a very specific chamber.

“Alright. How about we give you a little dip?”

Oikawa trembled and begged as he was dragged out of the cell, his eyes meeting the Avox next to him as she hung limp in her chains. Blood dripped from her mouth to pool at her feet, her face battered with bruises as she looked at him.

“Please. Not the water. Anything but the water. Please. Please. PLEASE!” Oikawa yelled as he was dragged through the doors and into the chamber to relive one of the nightmares that haunted him until now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy weekend! Lovely weather we have today don't we? (rainy and cold and me just trying not to freeze and sporting a running nose ugh!)
> 
> Thanks so much for all of your support and your enthusiasm with this story!!! I didn't expect so many people to be so invested in this story so it really makes me happy!
> 
> Enjoy!

The day Ushijima saw his fiancé walk for the first time in five years, he had almost prayed to the gods that he had lost hope in and thanked them for saving him. Ushijima wasn’t a man to pray for anything; he always took everything into his own hands and carved his own path.

When Semi lost the ability to walk, he had tried everything he could to find a way for him to walk again. Even with his earnings as a Victor and Semi’s combined, it hadn’t been enough to seek treatment in the Capitol for his legs, or rather, the Capitol refused to give them the treatment in order to instil fear that once a Victor loses something, they can never get it back. Ushijima then delved into the world of the underground, selling his body in an attempt to get close to the higher-class members of society and finding information on how he could to help his lover walk again.

Once he had heard a piece of news he had dismissed as nonsense; never in the history of the Games had a Tribute been kept alive, whether they had been in second place or third place, no matter how beautiful or handsome they were. But for some reason, Oikawa Tooru was kept alive, the slave to an elite. He didn’t relay the information to Iwaizumi thinking he didn’t want to stir any false hope in the boy but when Daishou had mentioned it to him, he couldn’t help but confirm his thoughts once more.

Back in the present, Ushijima now sat in Moniwa’s workshop, his hand clutching onto Semi’s as Moniwa fitted an exoskeleton of sorts onto Semi’s legs. The man was a prodigy in technology, being one of the people to come up with the advanced medical technology used in the Capitol as well as weapons that were used to kill their own people. Moniwa swore that alongside helping District 13 build up their arsenal, he would try his best to help Semi walk again and in just two weeks, he had fulfilled Semi’s dream of walking once more.

“There, that should do it. It might take a while to get used to, but you should be able to walk. You still won’t have any feeling in your legs though, I’m sorry,” Moniwa muttered as he did the final adjustments. Semi shook his head as he smiled, his fingers curling around Ushijima’s hand tighter in anticipation, “No, this is enough for me, Moniwa-san. I never thought I would be able to walk again.”

Moniwa’s eyes clouded for just a moment before he sniffled and wiped the tears away. The man had told himself he had to stop crying like a baby and focus on helping people in every way he can. He may be a nerd but with his brain and intellect, he could help change the course of how District 13 develops their technology.

“Alright, let’s give this a go,” Moniwa said as he offered a hand to Semi, who took it with his free hand and allowed Moniwa to slowly pull him to his feet. At first, he stepped on his left foot, the feeling of not being able to feel anything but still being able to even stand left Semi sobbing as he stood upright for the first time in months, although he still had to hold onto Ushijima to steady himself as Moniwa smiled, “Alright. Try taking a few steps forward.”

“Eita, you don’t have to force yourself if it hurts,” Ushijima whispered as Semi shook his head, slowly reaching out to put one foot in front of the other. After taking a few steps, Ushijima finally let go of his lover's hand to let him walk, Moniwa now sobbing at the miracle before his eyes as Semi walked for the first time in five years. The Victor sobbed as he tried to bow to the smaller man, almost toppling over when he felt himself losing balance when Ushijima caught him in his arms. The bigger Tribute had his eyes glazed over as he pulled Semi into a hug, his lover gripping into his shirt as he sobbed into him.

“I can walk, Wakatoshi. I can walk,” he sobbed as Ushijima stroked his back, small hiccups leaving Semi’s mouth as he celebrated. Moniwa was muttering how he could fine-tune the technology a bit more and how it may even be possible for Semi to run again but all words were lost with Semi crying into his lover's arms. As the three of them celebrated their victory, a single figure standing outside the workshop couldn’t help but feel a little jealous at now being able to join their celebration, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he made his way into the kitchen.

“Hey, what's up Tendou? First time you looked so miserable,” Atsumu called as he munched on a rice ball. Turns out Osamu was a skilled cook and an expert in making onigiri, serving the same thing every morning and having all his food wiped out from existence by the hungry citizens. The guy was even smiling more now that he was coupled with Suna Rintarou, an elite member of the Capitol who had been sent to military school and was one of the higher-ranking officers in the Capitol military until he went rogue. Now he spent his days working in the kitchen with Osamu and driving Atsumu up the wall at how he still hadn’t confessed that he liked Sakusa.

“Do I look that bad?” Tendou groaned as he snatched a riceball of the plate and stuffed it into his mouth. He was close to melting as he tasted cheese and seaweed inside when Osamu appeared from the storage room, his arms carrying some rice as Suna appeared from the back, his hair a bit dishevelled as Tendou groaned, “How do you guys even tell each other you like one another and go as far as to date in this kind of crisis?!”

“Tendou, the Guess Monster of the Academy who dropped out to become a whacked-out fashion designer is asking us on confessions? Never thought I would live to see that day!” Atsumu laughed as Osamu cuffed him over the head, “You aren’t any better Tsumu. You still have your own confession to handle.”

“How am I going to confess to someone who deals with emotions as though he’s trying to do a weather report?” Atsumu groaned as Tendou sighed, “Uh, a little help with me here?”

“Why don’t you just confess to them?” Suna mumbled as he set the rice onto the table and began to open them to prep more rice balls. Tendou could almost feel his hair droop as he groaned, wondering how he had gotten caught in a situation with loving Ushijima when he knew full well that he had a freaking fiancé!

Why did he have to fall in love to someone who wouldn’t even love him back?

“Well, enough with the love chatter. We have important things to do today and I sure hope that Iwaizumi would at least have gotten his head out of his ass to do his job if he wants to get Oikawa back, if the kid is still alive,” Atsumu said as he stuffed a rice ball into his mouth and stole a few more on the way out, his brother scowling at him as Suna tried to calm him down. A simple stroke on the shoulder was enough for the tension to cease in the air but when Tendou saw the look of happiness and love in Suna and Osamu’s eyes, he couldn’t help but wish that he would be able to have that one day, even if it would never be possible.

…

“We will be going to District 11. They have been hit the worse so far as one of the first districts to rebel against the Capitol. They have a makeshift hospital in one of their factories and we are to go there and interact with the patients, so to speak. To show the country just how bad the situation is and that no one will be spared from this war,” Atsumu spoke as the group listened on. They now stood in the underground hangar that housed the various stolen ships that District 13 had accumulated over the years, the belly of one plane opened for them to enter.

He had managed to gather a few people as his crew, one of them being Moniwa since he was one of the few people who could handle the tech without destroying it and Sakusa, who would be on the lookout for enemies in the plane (he hated germs and going to a hospital where it was unhygienic and filled with dead people made him want to puke) as well as piloting them in and out. Ushijima had offered to go as an escort while his fiancé tagged along.

Iwaizumi stared in amazement as Semi Eita walked towards them, dressed in his combat gear as he nodded to them. The Victor was an archer just like him, possibly even better than him since he always managed to hit his enemies straight through the centre of the forehead without batting an eye. While Ushijima seemed concerned about him taking to the field when he could just barely move, Iwaizumi felt a bit safe knowing that he had someone trustworthy guarding his back.

Heck, he had even come to almost forgive Ushijima for what happened in the past.

Almost.

“Moniwa will be handling the cameras. I will be asking the interview questions while you just have to look and answer to the camera. Just act.. normal,” Atsumu said as Iwaizumi grunted, “You know how I’m like when I’m my normal self.”

“It's best to be normal, Iwaizumi. People do not like to listen to the words of a person reciting from a script. You have seen firsthand how that can turn out,” Ushijima said as the gunshot that ended Yamaguchi’s life filled his ears. He resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears to stifle out the noise, taking a few breathes to calm himself down as Sakusa growled, “Just remember to disinfect yourself before coming on board. I don’t want you trailing any sorts of diseases the dead and injured can bring onto my ship.”

“You mean our ship. We stole it together, Omi-kun!” Atsumu whined as Semi tried not to snicker at the nickname. Sakusa blushed behind his mask, tugging at the straps on his ear as he looked at each and everyone of the team.

“We move in and get out in half an hour, got it? I don’t want to waste any time over there when we can get the footage up and running. Move out!” Sakusa snapped as they all strode onto the plane, Ushijima and Moniwa hauling the equipment on board as the rest of them began to strap in. Semi sat across from Iwaizumi, his brand new bow in his hands as he caressed the metal. Iwaizumi had a similar bow as well; a bow that fired explosive arrows strong enough to take out a plane, courtesy of Moniwa.

“Why do you want to do this when you’ve just recovered?” Iwaizumi asked as Semi stopped fumbling with his weapons before looking at him. Semi had always been just a Victor from District 1 that was one of the elites and won through spilling the blood of others without mercy. Now looking at the Victors seated around him, Iwaizumi only saw people who had been thrown into a deathmatch as children and forced to survive.

They were all just victims of a game.

“I want to make them pay for what they did to us. Now that we have a reason to hope for the future, I’m willing to take it,” Semi said, curling his fingers into Ushijima’s as the man squeezed his hand. Iwaizumi wished he could do the same thing with Oikawa, his fingers fisting around his pants instead as Sakusa called, “And we take off in 3, 2, 1…”

Iwaizumi’s stomach lurched as they ascended into the air, the Victor trying his best not to hurl as they soared through the sky towards District 6.

…

“No. No. please. Tobio-chan. I didn’t..”

“No. You killed me. You killed us all,” the mutt snarled as Oikawa trashed in the water, unable to break free. His hands were bound in chains, his body suspended under the water. They had injected him with something that allowed him to breath and see clearly underwater, although it did little to help as he was fully aware of what the mutts were saying to him and could see every detail on their bodies.

The mutts reminded him of mermen from the books he had read as a child, although these ones had the faces of the Tributes he killed. They swam around him, whispering into his ears as he tried to escape, begging for mercy to not be haunted by the ghosts of his past as the mutt that looked like Kageyama raked claws across his face.

“You killed me.”

“You killed me,” Tanaka whispered as the mutt swam past, followed by Akaashi, his blue eyes now replaced with dark orbs as it snarled, “You forced me to kill myself.”

“No… no…” Oikawa begged as Shirabu moved past, brown hair covering his face as it snarled, “You shot me through the head with an arrow. You let me die.”

“No…”

The worse one was when a silver-haired mutt swam towards him, its hands free of claws as it stroked Oikawa’s cheek. Oikawa screamed and kicked as the Suga looking mutt smiled at him, leaning close to his ear to whisper the words that haunted Oikawa in his sleep and every time he was dunked into the water.

“Oikawa. Help me.”

Oikawa continued to scream until the serum wore out, causing water to seep through his nose and into his body. He wanted to drown just like that, to drift away and never have to deal with the ghosts of his past ever again.

If he could never be rid of them, maybe it was best if he joined them in the afterlife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't ask me why I added the mutt scene in the end... I have a bit of a wild imagination when it comes to torture techniques...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally managed to write something for this story; took about watching the entire movie and listening to Star wars soundtrack to do the trick but tada! On a side note, I changed the District they were visiting to District 11 instead (for some reason I kept thinking it was District 11 instead of 6 but for plot reasons, here we are).
> 
> Oh and I almost forgot; Happy Birthday Iwa-chan (Its still 9th of June for me but its already 10th of June for some people but oh well, never too early to wish right?).
> 
> Enjoy!

The ride to District 11 consisted of Iwaizumi being told what to do. As annoying as Atsumu was, at least the man appeared to know what he was doing. He ran through a couple of things Iwaizumi had to do and what to expect when they landed in the District. With rioting going on, everything was pretty much in chaos, with District 11 having had the worst of it all by far.

Moniwa sat from across him, his hands fiddling with whatever equipment he could get his hands on to end the jitters. Semi and Ushijima were speaking in low voices, Ushijima’s hand wrapped around Semi’s hand that had a ring glinting on it. Iwaizumi almost felt jealous seeing that the two of them were together but knowing that what he was about to do could mean Oikawa’s rescue, he just clamped his mouth shut and listened to Atsumu’s annoying voice drone on.

How was it possible that a pair of twins could be so different and he had to be stuck with the one that drove him up the wall?

“We’ll be landing outside of the field hospital in ten minutes, getting ready for descent,” Sakusa’s voice droned from the front as the jet lurched, slowly bringing them to the ground. Iwaizumi had to steady himself in his seat to stop himself from throwing up; he would never get used to flying by a long shot.

The jet bumped as it landed, the ramp opening up for a cloud of dust to wash into the jet. Sakusa could be heard cursing from the front about germs and dust and how much cleaning he would have to do afterwards as the men disembarked, Atsumu being the first to step off as a man greeted them upfront.

He had a shock of blond hair on his head, although that was now covered with hints of blood and dust. He was long and lanky, much taller than any of them, even towering over Ushijima. Despite that, he looked pretty scared to be meeting them, his gun strapped on his back as he wiped his hands on his pants before giving Atsumu’s hand a shake. The ex-host didn’t seem too thrilled at the sight of the blood on the man’s hands as the man introduced himself.

“Welcome to District 11. I’m Tsukishima Akiteru, one of the medics and the leader of the resistance.”

The name rang a bell to Iwaizumi as Atsumu gave the man a smile.

“Pleasure. Can you lead us to the hospital please?” Akiteru beckoned them to follow him, the group stepping around rubble as the jet took to the skies once more. Akiteru shouted over the noise as they headed forward, some soldiers turning to stare at them as he yelled, “We got hit by a bomb not too long ago! It destroyed most of our homes but they didn’t target out factories so we’ve been using those as medical facilities! We’ll be bringing you to the main hospital now!”

Iwaizumi had to watch his step as he moved through rubble. Even though most of them had been buried underneath, there was still evidence of bodies peeking out from underneath, most of them in various states of decomposition. Even Ushijima looked ready to puke, Moniwa already with a hand covering his nose as he held the camera with his other hand, trying not to drop it from all the shaking he was doing.

They passed by several rebel soldiers before reaching a debilitated building, some of the windows having been shattered as they stopped outside. Akiteru turned around to face them, his face grim as he said, “Just a warning, it's about to get smelly here.” He pulled aside the partition that separated them from the inside and already, the stench of death and decay struck their noses. It took everything in Iwaizumi’s power not to throw up as the man headed inside, the rest following him as Moniwa leaned outside for a bit to catch his breath. Ushijima merely wrinkled his nose as Semi held onto him for support, the Victor already on the verge of puking as they passed by the rows of dead bodies.

Most of them had been wrapped up in cloth but it appeared that most of them must have died days, if not weeks ago. Blood covered the cloth along with yellow fluids, Iwaizumi not wanting to guess what they might be. The stray bodies that remained unwrapped had some maggots crawling out of their wounds, Akiteru not even paying them a second glance as they trudged on.

“We didn’t have time to move them to the mass graves. Everyone has been so busy working with the injured that we haven’t had the time to bury the dead or even grieve for them,” Akiteru murmured as Iwaizumi stared at the back of his head. The more he looked at them, the more he was reminded of Yamaguchi, who had died for merely showing defiance for his best friends dying. Iwaizumi wondered if they even managed to lay claim on his body and give him a proper burial.

Tsukishima… wasn’t the Tribute from District 11 named that? It seemed so long ago that Iwaizumi had been in the 74th Hunger Games, the names and faces of most of his opponents having been long forgotten. He had only known the female Tribute having had died in Shirabu’s hands before he had managed to find Oikawa; the male Tribute had died on the first day and Iwaizumi hadn’t had much of a chance to remember how he looked like.

“Wait, are you the brother of the Tribute from District 11?” he asked as Akiteru stiffened ever so slightly. They had come to a stop in front of another partition, the translucent plastic shielding what was happening on the other side as Akiteru chewed his lip, “Yes. He was my baby brother.” His hand tightened as he pushed the flap aside, a wash of voices pouring in from the hospital as he said, “I couldn’t save him. The least I could do is to make sure I keep my fellow District members alive.”

The hospital was in chaos. It reminded Iwaizumi of a wet market they had in the District, the floor slick with blood and sweat as they moved around. Atsumu had moved behind to speak to Moniwa, who was fumbling with the camera so much that Atsumu snatched it from his hands, deciding to do the recording himself as Ushijima and Semi stood guard. Iwaizumi gulped as he took in the sight in front of him, Akiteru urging them to step forward as he slowly walked.

People lay on the floor in various forms of decay or injury. Most of them weren’t even moving, having had passed out from the pain of their wounds or having just passed on without anyone knowing or attending to them. nurses ran about, overwhelmed by the situation as they tried to help their ailing patients. Some of the men were being held down as the nurses and doctors attempted to sew up some wounds or remove limbs, Iwaizumi wincing as a bloodcurling cry from a man came, his leg slowly being sawed off. Akiteru cast the man a wry look, his face downcast as Iwaizumi bit the inside of his mouth.

“Akiteru-niichan,” a voice coughed from nearby as Akiteru moved towards one of the few cots that lay scattered across the floor. A small boy was inside, a bandage covering his eyes as he reached out clumsily to him. Akiteru gently reached out to give him a pat, the boy feeling his hands as he smiled, “You’re back.”

“Yeah, Hikari,” Akiteru smiled as the boy asked, “Did he come?”

“Yes he did,” Akiteru said as he nudged Iwaizumi forward. The Tribute slowly moved towards Hikari, stepping past another patient lying on the ground as the boy sucked in a breath. The boy had similar features to Yamaguchi; a dash of freckles lay scattered about on his cheeks, he even had the same cowlick on the shock of dark green hair on his head. The young boy reached out to Iwaizumi, Iwaizumi slowly letting him touch him as Akiteru whispered, “He’s blind. He got caught in a blast not long ago and the metal got into his eyes. It’s a miracle he’s even alive.”

“I can hear you, niichan. Don’t be so mean,” Hikari pouted as Akiteru gave him a pat on the head as Iwaizumi whispered, “This is madness. Hurting a little kid, how could they do this?”

“It’s the Capitol. They already took away his brother just because of him showing a sign that they didn’t approve off. I wouldn’t put it past them to try and bomb us,” Akiteru whispered as Yamaguchi’s brother asked, “Iwaizumi-niichan, are you going to fight them for us?” Some heads turned to their direction, the inhabitants of the hospital having had finally realised what was going on as Iwaizumi felt a stray tear falling from his eyes. He thought he had seen worst things after being in District 12 and watching people suffer every day; seeing the state of the Districts because of something he never meant to be and the people suffering from it made him sick in the gut.

He gave the boy’s hand a squeeze as he nodded, wishing he could let the boy see how sorry he was for putting him in this situation.

“I will.” Just the two words made the boy’s face light up, his small fingers shaking as he pressed three of them to his lips and brought them into the air, whistling the sound of the Rebellion as the rest of the room did the same. All around them, the sounds of whistling and hands rising into the air met his eyes, Akiteru doing the same as the man choked back some tears, no doubt remembering that his younger brother could finally be avenged.

The other Tributes stood back, Ushijima giving him a nod as Moniwa fought back some tears. Atsumu held the camera in his hands, a smile on his lips as he continued to film, no doubt happy that they had got some good footage for whatever thing they had cooked up in District 13. Even Semi had his fingers in the air, his legs shaking a bit from not being used to standing up for so long as Iwaizumi took a breath.

He took away so much from them.

He will make sure all the dead had their revenge.

…

Sakusa scowled as he wiped down the jet, cursing about how much cleaning and disinfecting he would have to do once they get back to base. They didn’t even have a steady supply of disinfectant in District 13; luckily for him, he had brought his own stock, although he wasn’t confident of it lasting him for the next month or so and he had brought an entire crate of the stuff. Kita hadn’t been too happy about his request of cleaning his room all the time, leaving Sakusa paranoid about not being able to clean everything he touched. Showering was the worst; having to do communal showers with everyone else was a nightmare, made much worse with Atsumu commenting about how pale his ass was.

He nearly made a dent in the wall as he cursed about the stupid fox for roping him into his plan. Sakusa sincerely hoped that he hadn’t committed high treason against the Capitol for nothing and following a stupid idiot to his death. Atsumu was going to be the death of him; what he saw in him was beyond him.

The sound of beeping came from the cockpit as Sakusa stopped his cleaning routine, dropping the cloth onto one of the seats with a huff before ripping off his gloves. He stepped inside to see two dots appearing on the radar, headed straight towards them. He scowled as he reached for his headset, calling in for Atsumu as the man’s voice filled his ears with a purr.

“Omi-kun, calling me just to listen to my magnificent voice?”

“Capitol jets coming in at your direction from the east. Get your asses out of there if you wanna live. You have one minute.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle begins fufufufu.

Iwaizumi was so glad to be out of the hospital, the smell of rotting flesh still in his nose as he stepped out onto the main road. Atsumu was crooning with Moniwa about how much fun he was going to have with Suna and Kita in editing this footage, the Victor looking like he rather be anywhere but with Atsumu right now when the fox’s ears twitched, his hand moving to touch his earpiece as he spoke into it. Iwaizumi turned to speak to Akiteru, the man having stepped out of the hospital for a bit to check on the others when Atsumu barked, “Jets incoming from the Capitol. Omi says we have 1 minute tops before they arrive.”

“Shit. As if they didn’t bomb us enough already,” Akiteru growled as he grabbed onto his walkie talkie, speaking into it as he commanded all battle ready fighters to get into positions. The sound of people rustling to get into position filled the air, the Victors themselves getting their own weapons ready. Semi had his arrow out, notching it into his bow as Iwaizumi did the same. Ushijima held what looked like a rocket launcher in his hands, Moniwa holding onto a gun as Atsumu snapped his fingers, “Alright, let’s hustle!”

“Uh, no offence but since you’re the only one without military experience, I don’t think I want to follow you,” Iwaizumi murmured as Semi said, “Same here.”

“What?! I just wanted to sound cool!” Atsumu snapped as Ushijima stepped forwards, Atsumu snapping his mouth shut as Ushijima said, “Let’s head for cover now.” As soon as he said it, the sound of guns being fired pierced the air, the group barely managing to duck into a building as a jet rumbled in from above. Some of the rebels shouted as they opened fire, Akiteru shouting into his walkie talkie to no avail, the gunfire too loud for him to bark any orders as Ushijima shouted, “Eita! Iwaizumi! Get to the highest point and shoot down those planes!”

“Hey Omi! Are you trying to shoot them down?! And what do you mean you don’t want to get shot? You’re supposed to shoot them!” Atsumu yelled into his commlink as the group moved, Ushijima grabbing onto a shivering Moniwa and dragging him with him. Atsumu moved with Akiteru, the man bringing up the rear as he barked to the two Victors on where to go when his walkie talkie sparked to life.

“Akiteru… copy… they are firing at the hospital! They’re targeting the hospital!” a voice crackled as Akiteru cursed, “Those bastards!” Akiteru was already moving before they could stop him, Atsumu snatching at his hand as he yelled, “Do you want to die?! Now isn’t the time to play hero and go rescue them!”

“There are innocents in there who can’t move! I have to go save them! I can’t leave Hikari behind! Not after I failed Tadashi!” Akiteru snatched his hand from Atsumu’s grasp, dashing out into the street as gunfire pelted from above. Somehow they managed to miss him, the man running towards the hospital as Semi nudged Iwaizumi, who had been in a trance the entire time as he yelled, “Come on! Let’s get to the rooftop!”

“I’ll stay here and try to get some of those rebels out of here!” Atsumu yelled as they parted ways, the two archers running up the stairs to the top of the building. The sound of bombs being dropped rocked the ground, Iwaizumi feeling the ground heave under his feet as the stairs crumbled underneath him. He gave a yell as he lost his footing, nearly falling backwards as Semi grasped onto his arm, grunting as he pulled him back onto solid ground. For someone who had regained the use of his legs not too long ago, he was much more nimble in his steps than Iwaizumi ever was.

“Come on. We’re almost there,” Semi panted as they continued their ascent, ducking behind rocks as gun fire rained from above. An unlucky man was struck, several bullets tearing through his body to leave it a bloody mess. Iwaizumi silently prayed for his soul to reach heaven as he reached to aim his arrow, Semi notching his into his bow as he smirked, “You know, I never knew I would be working alongside a country bumpkin like you. Not many archers actually survive in the Games.”

“If I had to deal with that one more time, I will blow you to bits,” Iwaizumi growled as Semi chuckled, “Whatever. Wakatoshi would avenge me in kind.” Iwaizumi had to do everything in his power not to snort as a jet oared above their heads, both of them taking aim for it just as it released a bomb onto a building, Iwaizumi’s eyes widening as he saw a single figure stepping out of it with a body in his hands.

“That damned Akiteru!” Semi cursed as he shot his arrow, the arrow flying through the sky as Iwaizumi did the same. The bomb hit the ground before the arrows hit it, the hospital going up in flames as Akiteru and Hikari were engulfed in the blast. The jet dropped onto the building not to long after, causing the entire structure to crumble to the ground as Iwaizumi dropped his bow onto the ground, his breath hitching as he clutched his chest.

He was too slow. He couldn’t save them again. Oh lord, how many people died in there?

Why did he shoot the jet only for it to crash into the hospital?

“Hey! Snap out of it!” Semi chided as he tapped Iwaizumi on his face. The heat from the blaze was intense, Iwaizumi feeling the burn even though he was a block away from the site. Semi slowly helped him to his feet, Iwaizumi too dazed to even realise what was happening as they made their way back down to see Moniwa on his knees, staring at the ruins of the hospital as Ushijima tried to bring him up.

“That was my design. Oh gods, to think they used it to kill so many people…”

“Don’t. Its not your fault. If you hadn’t done it, you would have lost your life.”

“And what is my life meant when so many innocents have died? Oh lord, I think I’m going to be sick,” Moniwa murmured as Atsumu stood with them, his golden eyes watching Iwaizumi move. He stepped out of the hole in the wall, stepping out onto the street as the rest followed. Semi hissed at Atsumu as the man stepped out with the camera in his hand, not seeming to be bothered about what was happening as Ushijima rumbled, “Now isn’t the time to film.”

“Oh yes it is. The Districts would need to see this. The Capitol citizens need to see what the Capitol is capable of and that they need to fight back. Now is the best time to film,” Atsumu growled as he held the camera up, zooming in at Iwaizumi’s face. Iwaizumi’s face was now coated with ash and grime, unlike his clean pristine self that Tendou would have always told him to be as Atsumu called out, his voice nearly drowned as the sound of rubble hitting the ground pierced the air.

“Can you tell us what happened?” he called as Iwaizumi growled, “Are you kidding me?! You want me to film after Akiteru and Hikari died?!”

“That’s precisely why it needs to be filmed! The Capitol has killed thousands of innocents and we have the proof in front of them! We need to show the country just what is happening in the Districts!” The camera zoomed in closer as Iwaizumi clutched his bow, his grip tight as Atsumu asked once more, “Tell us what happened here.” Iwaizumi hated this. He hated being filmed so much. How could they use the deaths of others as entertainment and to spread propaganda?

This was all just screwed up. Slowly, he turned to face the camera, his knuckles white as he held onto his bow as he said, “I am in District 11, where the Capitol has just bombed a hospital filled with unarmed men, women and children. There are no survivors. If you think the Capitol would let us live in peace after what has happened, than you’re fooling yourselves! This is what they do to those who fight back! We must fight back! They can torture us, or bomb us, or burn our Districts to the ground but remember this!” Iwaizumi felt tears streaking his face as he yelled out, the anger in his heart bleeding into his words.

Oikawa was suffering so much from this. He will make sure to free him from this hell.

Its time for the world to burn.

“We will fight back! And if we burn, you burn with us!” Iwaizumi felt all the energy leaving his body as he buckled to the ground, his knees scraping against stone as he gazed at the ruins, his hands bleeding as he brought them to his face. He didn’t care if his blood or dirt mixed with his tears; all he knew was that he had failed District 11 and Oikawa.

He wasn’t going to let anyone die or suffer anymore.

It was time for the Mocking jay to rise.

…

Oikawa shuddered as the hand was pressed against his body. His whole body convulsed at the person’s touch, vomit being released from his stomach as he coughed. The floor was a mess as the man ran a hand along his jaw, not caring if Oikawa flinched away as he sneered, “Come on, Oikawa. Don’t tell me you don’t want to feel me.”

“You’re not Iwa-chan. You’re replusive,” Oikawa spat as the man chuckled, reaching to bring another torture weapon to his face. Oikawa had seen so many over the past few weeks; it was a miracle they could even have so many different types of weapons at their disposal to drive him mad.

The torturer brought the knife to his face, cutting a thin line along his cheek as Oikawa bit back. This wasn’t the worse pain he had to endure; he had gotten electrocuted, beaten up, strangled, everything that a person could think off every day. He wasn’t the only one suffering like this; he could hear a Tribute being shocked every day as well as the Avox screaming in her cell. While the Tribute next door had been screaming bloody murder for the first few days, he had been reduced to a shaking mess that shrinked away from the light every time he was brought out.

Oikawa thought he had seen him in one of the Games before; a certain Little Giant by the name of Hoshiumi Korai.

“Come on, now. Don’t tell me you’re done yet,” the torturer growled as Oikawa grinned. He felt a punch hitting his jaw, blood blooming in his mouth as he spat out a tooth, “Go to hell.”

He was already in hell. He didn’t even know if he would even make out of this place alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for killing off Akiteru and Hikari but plot needs to go on (and also kinda gives them some peace, poor Hikari having to live like that, I just couldn't..). Damn I always have shivers whenever Katniss says the words "If we burn, you burn with us!".
> 
> Hope you guys liked it and for the deaths, sorry?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy weekend!!! Man, finally a day off from work!!!
> 
> Finally gonna educate my best friend in the ways of Marvel (she finally watched Captain America the other day and now she's going to watch Avengers!! Oho I can't wait to see Loki on screen again kyahhh!!!)
> 
> Enjoy!

Iwaizumi sat in the conference room aka the war room of District 13, the seats filled with the heads of the District. Kita Shinsuke sat in the middle of the long table, his long fingers crossed in front of him as he propped his elbows on the table. A dark-skinned man by the name of Ojiro Aran flanked his right, who was in charge of the weapons division as well as security in the District. To his left was Suna Rintarou, the man’s eyes squinting at the screen as the video played on it. Iwaizumi had elected to stand at the side, not wanting to be seated with them. Matsukawa shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his arm finally in working condition as he tried not to cringe at the video.

When Atsumu had mentioned filming a propaganda film, he didn’t think it would look like a movie trailer of sorts. It reminded him of those videos of the Hunger Games that were always played before a Reaping and how much they made him cringe. This time, it was his own face plastered on the video, his own voice wafting through the air as the camera followed him.

The video begins with them moving through the hospital, Iwaizumi slowly looking at each of the patients before moving towards Hikari. His heart clenched at the sight of the young boy greeting him, his small face still etched into Iwaizumi’s memory as his small voice called out to him.

“And you going to fight with us?”

Every time he heard those words, Iwaizumi only felt hurt and regret filling him. He hadn’t saved anyone that day; he had only caused more deaths to the people around him.

Then came the scene where the hospital had been bombed to the ground. Iwaizumi thought it was sick on how Atsumu had managed to capture every moment but not be able to lend a helping hand to those people. Sakusa hadn’t even bothered to draw his weapons; he had been worried about hitting one of the buildings or causing the jets to crash into innocent people and he wasn’t wrong. He and Semi had made that mistake.

“You can torture us or bomb us or burn our Districts to the ground, but remember this! If we burn, you burn with us!” The sound of a Mocking jay whistle sounded in the video as a symbol of the bird burned on the screen, the bird sculpted of molten gold as flames surrounded it. A flash of words appeared on the screen, Matsukawa letting out a low snort disguised as a cough as Kita rolled his eyes at him.

“Join the rebellion. Join the resistance.”

This was some kind of bad joke.

“Nicely done. I will assure you that this will be sent out to the Districts as soon as Moniwa gets through with the signal,” Kita said as Suna leaned back in his chair, “That will be difficult but I believe he can do it.”

“Shall I call the citizens in for a meeting?” Aran asked as Kita nodded, the man standing up to make the announcement as Matsukawa drawled, “You really think the Districts would be saved by a video like that?”

“Matsukawa, we now have evidence of what the Capitol is doing to us. Of course, they would want to join.”

“But is there a point to it? You ask them to join the rebellion and what? They’re going to riot against the Peacekeepers? They won’t be able to do much without weapons. The Capitol still has us outnumbered,” Matsukawa growled as Kita smiled, his yellow eyes flashing as he said, “If they don’t rebel now, they will be wiped out before they even have the chance to run. As Iwaizumi said, if we burn, they burn with us. Everyone is caught in this fire now, and no one is going to come out of it unscathed.”

…

“This is mad,” Iwaizumi grunted as he sat in his bunk. Luckily for him, he had his own room, although that proved to be something that drove him mad once in a while. While he appreciated the silence, it was only so long that he could handle being alone with his own thoughts. Ever since their excursion, he had been having nightmares of fire and death. Over and over, he would remember Akiteru’s face before being engulfed in flames, Hikari never able to see what was coming as the older man held him. Iwaizumi felt sick at not being able to save them at all.

There was a knock on his door as the door slid open to reveal Semi on the other side. The Victor had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung on his back, a small smile on his face as Iwaizumi grunted, “What do you want?” He never liked the man since he was a Victor and therefore a person who killed many to stand at the top. Not to mention he loved the monster who killed his family. Iwaizumi had every reason to hate Semi.

“I just got the green light to go out to the woods for hunting. I heard you did hunting back in District 12 so you want to come along? Could use some fresh air.” The last time they had stepped out was nearly a week; Iwaizumi didn’t know how the people of District 13 could survive being down here for so long.

Reluctantly, Iwaizumi found himself walking aboveground with Semi. The man didn’t speak as they walked into the forest, the sound of the trees bring peace to Iwaizumi’s mind as they threaded through the woods.  
  


“I didn’t know that District 2 allowed hunting.”

“We don’t. I always thought hunting would be interesting and since you’re a hunter, I thought it would be a good excuse to get out of there,” Semi murmured as they ventured deeper. Already, Iwaizumi’s mind was making mental notes on their surroundings, his nose picking up the smells of the forest when a familiar sound picked up in his ears. He motioned Semi to stop walking, the other Victor passing him his bow and arrows. They didn’t have many lying around and Iwaizumi hadn’t exactly wanted to go ask Moniwa to make him one after the disaster that had happened at District 11. Iwaizumi took the bow in his hands, feeling the weight of it before notching an arrow just as a large stag appeared before them.

“Beautiful,” Semi whispered as Iwaizumi nodded. The stag was huge; it had large antlers about half the size of Iwaizumi’s body with thick fur that would make a good coat. The meat alone would be enough to last him and his mother for a good month if salted and dried properly. Iwaizumi could almost feel himself licking his lips as he took aim, tasting the air as the stag looked up. Iwaizumi froze for a moment, hoping that the stag hadn’t noticed them when the beast looked at him straight in the eye, barely even flinching as Iwaizumi felt his arms dropping.

“It isn’t even scared,” Iwaizumi whispered as Semi chuckled, “Of course. It hasn’t been hunted before, therefore, it doesn’t know the fear of being hunted.”

Iwaizumi didn’t feel that it was right to kill a creature such as that. To be able to live in a world without fear of being killed, how much he wished he could have that feeling.

Iwaizumi did manage to get some meat, although he took turns with Semi in getting some game. The Victor turned out to be as good of a shot as he was, never once missing his target even as he shot at birds flying from the trees. Iwaizumi could almost marvel at how good Semi was at shooting but then again, he had been trained to kill moving targets since he was young.

Before heading back, the two of them had a light meal of game near the river. Iwaizumi splashed some of the water onto his face before taking a sip from the river, relishing at how fresh the water was as Semi cooked the meat over the fire. Iwaizumi never thought he would be sharing a meal with a fellow Victor, let alone one from District 2. Semi was much calmer than he thought he would be since he had a pretty bad resting bitch face, the man offering him some game as they munched on it.

“Why do you like Ushijima?” Iwaizumi blurted out as Semi chuckled, “A lot of people ask me that. I supposed it’s because… he’s very straightforward and doesn’t twist his words. I can’t stand someone who isn’t honest.” He bit into his meat, chewing on it as his eyes stared far away, a small smile dancing on his lips.

“I met him back in school when we were training. Shiratorizawa was always filled with strong people but Wakatoshi, he was something else entirely. He had an aura that attracted people to him and he was always so sure to win the games if he ever took part. Both of us were in the same year and we sorta clicked with each other. He was one of the few people that wasn’t there just to win the Games to gain fame; he genuinely wanted to win to show that he was the strongest.”

Semi set his food down as he sighed, “I know he killed your brothers and for that, I know he can never be forgiven. All of us have committed crimes we can never be forgiven for, but I hope that with everything going on, you could come to forgive Wakatoshi.” Iwaizumi knew he would never be able to forgive the man 100%, but seeing how much Semi cares for him, Iwaizumi just chose to shut out the thought of him wanting to blow Ushijima’s brains out.

“So what's your story with Oikawa? I was always wondering if you two were really an item.”

“That’s complicated.”

“Doesn’t look that complicated to me. You two were all over each other in the Games; why the hell did you even enter it when you knew you could have killed him in the end?”

Iwaizumi didn’t say anything about it. All he had wanted at the time was to make sure Oikawa won. He didn’t care if he died, he just hadn’t expected to win and start a rebellion against the Capitol.

There was a beeping sound as Semi reached into his pocket, pulling out a walkie talkie as Ushijima’s voice rumbled through it, “Is Iwaizumi with you? Command would like to speak with him.”

“Yes, he is. We’re heading back now,” Semi replied as the connection cut off.

If they were to ask him to film another video, Iwaizumi was going to clobber Atsumu over the head for it.

…

“Iwaizumi Hajime. I have seen what you have sparked the Districts to do. Rebelling against the Capitol is a foolish act that must be stopped at once. You’re not the only one who is going to suffer for all of this,” Washijou purred as the camera shifted to show Oikawa strapped onto a metal table, the boy stripped bare of any clothing. His body was laced with scars and bruises, some of them welling up in various colours that shouldn’t be on a human body as a man inserted a needle into his temple, making the boy scream against his mouth gag as Washijou smiled.

“If you don’t stop your rebellion, I will make sure your friend pays dearly for it.”

The screen went black as Kita ended the video, sinking into his chair as Aran whispered, “Should we inform him of this?”

“No. He wouldn’t want to carry out our plans if he sees this. Delete the video.”

“Shinsuke,” Aran muttered as Kita growled, “I can’t have that boy getting chickened out at a time like this. Oikawa is only going to hold him back if he knows what's happening to him in the Capitol. We’ve already lit the fire, we can’t afford to let it go out now.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today has been so wild arghhh!! Managed to get a Sakusa shirt, super happy about it and my merch for the stage plays are on their way!!!
> 
> Anyways, on to the story.

Iwaizumi hadn’t expected them to ask him to go to District 12.

He had heard about what had happened to the District. After the arena had collapsed and all the Victors had been taken away, the screens showing the Games had been shut down and all citizens herded back into the houses. Then the Capitol had removed all of the peacekeepers from the area within the hour and that was when some of the people realised something was very wrong.

It was Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s mothers that had been the ones to herd whoever would listen to them out of the District and towards the safety of the forest. Not even an hour after they had managed to reach the fence did the jets come in and bomb the district to the ground. There had only been 100 survivors out of the 10,000 people residing in the District; the bombing had continued for a full day to ensure no one survived. Even if anyone did survive, they were picked apart by the wild animals and left to rot. Iwaizumi’s mother hadn’t wanted to recall the memory, only telling her son what she could before breaking down into tears.

The only thing that had remained standing was Victor’s village, as a sign that the Victors were the cause of this and that Iwaizumi was the one to blame for everything that had happened. The boy felt his throat constrict as they finally landed in his hometown, Sakusa once again piloting the jet but this time, he had elected to follow them out to see for himself what had happened.

The first thing that Iwaizumi had noticed stepping out was the remnants of the Justice building. It seemed so long ago that he had been standing there as a Tribute, both he and Oikawa being carted off to their deaths without any choice. The only thing standing was the word Justice, the rest of the buildings reduced to rubble. What remained of the screens hung onto stray cables, metal and wiring dangling from the ground as the jet kicked up dust. Sakusa was going to have a field day about how much dust was going to get into his system, although Atsumu promised he would be giving him a nice long bath once they were done.

“Alright, we’ll start filming in front of the justice building and head towards the crater up ahead. You don’t have to speak this round, Iwaizumi but if you want to, feel free to do so,” Atsumu called out as he held the camera once more. This time, Moniwa had chosen to stay behind, not wanting to see just how much more destruction his work had caused. The poor man had been traumatised by what happened in District 11, locking himself up in his workshop and trying to find ways to help the Rebels the best he could. Suna and he had been working together recently in hacking the Capitol network; with Suna being in charge of military last time, he had a lot of knowledge in terms of backdoor routes into systems.

Ushijima and Semi mingled at the back of the group, both of them taking in the sight of the ruined district. Nothing but rock and structures of houses and buildings remained, the occasional crow fluttering to the ground to peck away at whatever they could find. Iwaizumi didn’t have to walk very far to be met with a crunching sound underneath his feet, moving his boot aside to see a remnant of a human skull. He felt his stomach lurch as he tried not to look on, watching as a murder of crows circles above the crater as he walked towards it.

In the past, that had been the main town square where most of the wealthier citizens lived. Merchants lived there, selling their wares and goods. The grocers and baker were some of the more luxurious shops in the area; Iwaizumi had only ever eaten bread from the bakery once during his birthday as a threat from Oikawa who had managed to sneak bread from there (he hadn’t technically stolen it since the bread had been burnt and the baker had wanted to throw it out to the pigs). Iwaizumi nearly licked his lips thinking about how that had been the most delicious bread he had ever tasted, the two eating it with squirrel meat Iwaizumi had shot in the forest.

Now, that very same square had been reduced into a massive gravesite.

Iwaizumi could see various bodies charred beyond recognition, most of them reduced to bones from having been picked clean by scavengers. Some of the crowd landed on the few corpses that remained, picking at dry skin and maggots as Iwaizumi pressed a hand against his mouth. He could hear someone gasping from behind as he nearly dropped to his knees, surveying the destruction his defiance had caused.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault,” Atsumu whispered as he placed a hand on his shoulder. The former host appeared to be distraught about the sight before him; Iwaizumi wondered just what kind of demon had possessed the man to come out here into the wilderness with a bounty on his head. Iwaizumi had initially pegged him to be a Capitol supporter and never thought he would be helping him document something like this.

Iwaizumi slowly got to his feet as he heard Sakusa moving up behind him. The man had his hands in his pockets, his eyes darting left and right. Iwaizumi was shocked he had agreed to come out with them after parking the jet.

After going through the town square, they made their way into Victor’s village. True enough, the place was still standing, Iwaizumi’s house intact. The victor made his way into the house as the other stood guard, Iwaizumi going through it to rifle through his stuff. He stuffed some of his mother’s herbs and medicines into a bag before grabbing some of their possessions; he collected a family picture they had kept on the mantle as well as a picture of him and Oikawa from their schooling days. Iwaizumi’s gut twisted as he looked at Oikawa’s smiling face, his arm thrown across his back as they smiled at the camera.

With his bow and arrows, jacket and his bag slung across his back, the group met outside of the house and made a detour to the river nearby for a break before going back for filming. Iwaizumi was glad to be able to have a break, watching the smooth surface of the water as Atsumu let out a low whistle, the very same whistle that the rebels in District 11 had used as his whistle was echoed by the mass of birds flying above their heads.

Mocking jays. They often gathered around the outskirts of the District. Iwaizumi used to try and make a lot of noises to scare Oikawa using the birds when they were younger, a small smile creeping on his face as he recalled the one time he had made a noise of a dinosaur; Oikawa had pissed his pants at that.

“I recalled you singing a song once, Iwaizumi. The Hanging tree, was it?” Ushijima asked as Iwaizumi nodded.

“My dad used to sing it to me.”

  
“My father sang it to me once and told me it is a song that shouldn’t be sung by children. He said it wasn’t a song of love or joy, only one where people had nowhere to go and could only go to their deaths.” Iwaizumi had thought this was a rather odd lullaby for an adult to be singing to their child but after everything that they had gone through, he thought this song would be rather fitting to their situation.

“Hmm, it would make a good soundtrack since you didn’t speak in this. It could totally work with the next video,” Atsumu muttered as Iwaizumi flushed, “I don’t sing.”

“Come on, now. Don’t be shy. You already kissed Oikawa in front of the camera, as if it could get any worse,” Semi winked as Iwaizumi sighed. The man did have a point but singing… why did it have to be singing? Slowly, he took a breath as he sang, the mockingjays slowly picking up the tune of his song.

_Are you, are you? Coming to the tree. They strung up a man, they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met at midnight in the hanging tree._

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree. Where dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met at midnight in the hanging tree._

As the words floated out of his mouth, Iwaizumi felt surprisingly at peace as he recalled the time he and Oikawa would sit by the fireplace, singing the song quietly to each other in case Iwaizumi’s mother told them off. They would make necklaces out of rope, trying to drape them over their necks as they giggled.

How Iwaizumi wished they could have remained the same innocent children as they had been all those years ago.

…

Word of the mocking jay began to spread like wildfire across the Districts. People watched the video behind closed doors, sparking the fire of rebellion in their hearts as they found the courage to fight back. People could no longer stand being oppressed and fights began to rage across the country.

District 7’s woodcarvers planted several bombs in the ground and blew up the Peacekeepers that were supposed to guard them on their shifts. The Hirugami family had been the one leading this in the name of their son, being the heads of the rebellion in their District as they rallied the troops to battle.

District 8 was led by Azumane Asahi, the friend of Sugawara and Sawamura as the District burnt down all of its factories to the ground. Even as Peacekeepers threatened to shoot them down, the man didn’t stop in avenging his friends, leading the rebels against the Peacekeepers until he was brought to his knees. Even as he had the gun trained to his head, Asahi could only think of his friends that had passed on and how much he had failed to save them from the Games, feeling the slightest bit of happiness that he could finally be with them.

In District 5, a riot was held at the electric dam where people were blowing up the dam and robbing the Capitol of its power, sending it plunging into darkness. Even as they were shot to the ground, the rioters never stopped in their march, singing the song of the Hanging tree as they marched on.

If they didn’t act, they would all die anyway so why not go with a bang?

In the Capitol, Washijou watched as his country fell into ruin, the Capitol not exempted from the chaos as every resource was slowly cut out of existence. Even digging into their emergency supplies wouldn’t help keep the hedonistic people of the Capitol in check; he had made them much too reliant on luxuries to the point most people couldn’t survive a minute without electricity.

“Tenma,” he called as a man stepped forward, his black hair brushing his face as he bowed, “Sir?”

“How are things going on with the Victors?”

“They are still being tortured as you requested. Hijacking is being considered for Oikawa Tooru since his memories had begun to return. Hoshiumi Korai is no longer fighting against us. As for Kageyama Haruka, she has been taken care of.”

“Good. Make sure we give Oikawa some good memories, shall we?” Washijou sneered as Tenma nodded before backing away. Even as he swirled the wine glass in his hand and brought it to his lips, Washijou smiled as he felt the sores breaking in his mouth, filling the wine with blood as he grinned.

If Iwaizumi wouldn’t stop rebelling against the Capitol and heed his warning, he will make sure his best friend suffered the consequences of his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I love the songs sung in the Hunger Games movies but dang, if we really take a look at the lyrics, they can be pretty morbid.
> 
> Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crazy weekend and yesterday in having to move house. Haven't even finished moving everything over, let alone unpack and cleaning the old place arghhh!!! I feel like a nomad as a student moving all the time but at this rate, just happy I have a place to stay and sleep in... Not sure if I will post a new chapter tomorrow, depends if I have the energy to cook something up worthy of posting.
> 
> Some good news, got quite a bit of Haikyuu merch coming over next week. Problem is... how are they going to send it to my new address when it's my old address posted on it...
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter.

Iwaizumi found himself in the training room with the rest of the Victors, he and Semi locked in a hand to hand combat as Matsukawa and Ushijima watched on from the sidelines. Iwaizumi ducked his head as Semi swung a fist at him, coming around to block it and using his momentum to throw the larger Tribute onto the training mat, Semi landing with a loud thump onto it. Matsukawa let out a low whistle as Iwaizumi pulled Semi back to his feet, a slight grin on his face as Ushijima gave him a nod.

With the four of them not exactly being able to fit into the population of District 13, they often found themselves hanging around the training much more than they would like. While Iwaizumi would prefer not to fight, he needed a way to get rid of the excess energy in his body. Semi also pointed out about needing to get back into shape and train his legs, the Victor showing that he was still capable of landing a good kick on Iwaizumi although Moniwa would often scold him for not taking of himself properly.

“Just because I can fix it, doesn’t mean I should. I have a lot of work to do so if you want to burn off excess energy, please find another way to do so,” Moniwa had grunted as he fixed in a screw into the device. Semi still found it odd that his legs would feel numb but he was able to move them; the only time he had to remove them was when taking a bath and usually, then, Ushijima would help him with whatever was needed anyways. He did feel bad for not being able to deliver certain things that Ushijima wanted, although the man never blamed him for anything.

“Not bad for an old man.”

“Shut it. I’m only five years older than you,” Semi grunted as he gave him a fist bump. Ushijima swooped in to hand him a towel and water, making sure that he had exerted himself too much as Semi gave him a peck on the lips, “Wakatoshi, I’m fine. You don’t have to baby me this much.”

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself again,” Ushijima rumbled as Matsukawa laughed, “Who would have thought you would be such a softie?” The four of them headed over to the showers, Iwaizumi slipping into one of the cubicles and letting the water run over his naked torso. He sighed with relief as the water washed over him, cleansing his skin of grime as he thought of what to do next.

After the video had been sent out, Atsumu hadn’t said anything about filming at all. The Capitol hadn’t seemed to be doing anything as well as far as he knew, although knowing Kita, the man could always be hiding something from him. If sending out a video showing the mass destruction of two Districts wasn’t enough to send the country plunging into chaos, Iwaizumi wasn’t sure what would.

Tendou had been raving about trying to create a new outfit for him for future video shoots, saying he needed something other than the raggedy grey jumpsuits everyone in District 13 wore. While the designer seemed to be slipping out of his gaze most of the time, Tendou has been making himself busy in making more military clothes that were more durable for the soldiers as well as helping out in the kitchens, although Osamu said his cooking could potentially kill someone if left to his own devices. It was funny how the Capitol citizens were more at home with the District after their luxurious life in the Capitol.

Iwaizumi sighed as he turned off the water, stepping out of the shower to head off into his room. It should be around seven at night now, time running different down there without the aid of the sun to help him. After drying his hair, Iwaizumi flopped down onto his bed and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come to him soon as he dimmed the lights.

Up in command, Kita was biting his lip as he looked at the monitor, Aran barking out orders as they watched the three dots approaching the base on their radar.

“So he’s sent the big guns,” Kita muttered as Aran asked, “Kita-san, your orders.”

“We stay put. We don’t engage in any fire.”

“But if we sit here and do nothing, they’re going to hit us,” Aran protested as Kita murmured, “No. They can hit us all they want. If we reveal ourselves to them, they would know we are here. Also, I can’t risk losing any of our weapons and soldiers. It took us long enough to get them into our hands. Aran, sound the alert and get everyone to evacuate to the lower levels. It's going to be a long night,” Kita huffed as Aran began the evacuation procedure. Kita leaned back in his chair, Kita’s eyes shining as he growled, “I won’t let you win. Not after driving us into the ground like the cowards you are instead of fighting us head-on.”

…

Iwaizumi was woken up by the sound of rumbling and the alarm blaring over his head. The light in his room flickered as he heard a mechanical voice speaking over his head, although he already knew what was going on as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. As soon as he opened it, he was nearly swept up in the wave of bodies, all of them struggling to head to safety as the voice spoke above their heads.

“This is an evacuation drill. Please proceed to Level 40 in an orderly fashion and wait for further orders. All personal belongings must be left behind in your respective quarters.” Iwaizumi grunted as he moved with the crowd, order already beginning to falter as the first of the bombs hit, rattling the ground as some people screamed.

“Hey, stop shoving!”

“You want us to die?!”

“Come on! Hurry up!” the voices shouted as Iwaizumi felt himself being pushed forward without much control. Even as he dug his heels into the ground, the tide of people rushing forward nearly knocked him onto the ground several times. Another bomb hitting sent them plunging into darkness, the screams and fear rising in the air as water began to seep from the pipes. Iwaizumi cursed as he slipped, his head colliding with the ground with a sickening crunch. He cried out in pain as he held his head, blood blooming from the wound as he tried to avoid getting stampeded by people. No one stopped to help him as he tried to crawl back to his feet, his head pounding as a hand was thrust out in front of him and a familiar scraggly looking face smirked back at him.

“Come on, you don’t want to be stepped on, right?” Matsun grinned as he helped the boy to his feet, Iwaizumi stumbling as he held onto him for support. Matsun held onto him as they made their way down, the throbbing in Iwaizumi’s head growing stronger by the minute as the countdown for closing the doors sounded.

“The doors will be closing in one minute.”

“Sheesh, how do they expect us to move so quickly?” Matsun swore as he slung Iwaizumi on his back, the boy letting out a grunt as Matsun chided, “No time to be complaining now, got it?” They finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Matsun managing not to slip even with Iwaizumi on his back as they slid through the doors just as they were about to slam shut. Iwaizumi narrowly missed getting his ass clipped by the doors, Matsun letting out a string of curses as Ushijima and Semi rushed to meet them.

“What happened? Do you need medical assistance?” Ushijima asked as Semi cuffed him on the head, “Of course he does dummy. Iwaizumi, can you walk?”

“Trying,” Iwaizumi grunted as they led him into the bunker. The place was crowded with people, most of them cramped onto the beds as the ceiling rocked above them. Several fissures appeared above their heads as more bombs were released, several people screaming as the rangers called out for order. Iwaizumi’s head was pounding too much to even register what was going on as he was led over to a bed. Ushijima went to call for a medic as Semi ripped a part of his uniform to press against Iwaizumi’s head, Iwaizumi hissing in pain as he heard someone calling out his name.

“Hajime, what happened?!” his mother asked as Matsun explained the situation. Iwaizumi could already feel himself drifting off as his mother proceeded to patch him up, muttering something about having brought a first aid kit with her as Iwaizumi groaned, “Since when did I become so lame?”

…

Oikawa stirred fitfully on the table as he opened his eyes. He didn’t know how long he had been strapped here, his body having had gone numb from the countless injections they had riddled across his body. His head swam as he tried to open his eyes, his vision swimming as images flashed across his eyes, Oikawa squeezing his eyes shut to block them out as a face flashed before his.

“Good, you’re awake,” the voice said as a man with scraggly black hair looked back at him. Oikawa gritted his teeth as the man checked his vitals, the man recording them down as Oikawa hissed, “Why are you even checking up on me? Don’t you just want me to die?”

“Patience. I can’t have you dying just yet. You still have an important role to play for your beloved Iwaizumi.” Already the name was sending chills up Oikawa’s spine despite how much he tried to stop himself. After whatever they had done to him, Oikawa began to feel intense fear whenever he heard Iwaizumi’s name. Even seeing a picture of the boy was enough to evoke enough fear in him to try and escape from his bonds.

Nearby, some of the Tributes lay on their backs on the table. Hoshiumi was screaming something in his sleep, the doctor doing nothing in helping the boy with his pain. Another Tribute lay nearby, his body covered with a tarp while another was in the middle of being torn apart, the doctors picking away at his flesh piece by piece as he begged for it to stop.

“I will never betray Ushijima-san.”

“You always say that. Don’t you want it to stop?”

“Just kill me already dammit!”

Oikawa felt hands pressing onto his face, turning his neck to the side as the doctor brought up a needle filled with bright yellow liquid. Oikawa’s eyes widened as he realised what it was, his body trashing as he begged for him to stop.

“No. No. Anything but that. Please,” he sobbed as he felt the needle piercing his skin. His body felt cold as the liquid circulated into his blood, sending a wave of pain through him as the doctor rubbed his hands together, a gleeful smile on his face as he smirked, “Now, how about we have a bit of a memory refreshing session?”

Oikawa’s screams could be heard even from the separated room, his body convulsing as the images were flashed before his eyes and more venom was pumped into him. His mind was wrecked as he begged for it to stop, no longer able to tell if he was holding on between reality and hallucinations. The face popping up before his eyes seemed so real but he knew he couldn’t be there and yet he wanted to hold onto him so much. At the same time, the face and voice brought so much fear to him, the very sound of his name of the person’s lips sending him sobbing and screaming.

What the hell were they doing to him?

Oikawa could only pray that he would die before he could see Iwaizumi again. He didn’t want him to see him like the mess he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I did find funny is that Katniss knocked her freaking head on the stairs, rolled down them and didn't get hurt whatsoever? Anyways, my head hurts thinking about falling down like that, ouch.
> 
> How did you guys find this chapter? A bit too rushed or too whacky?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a crazy week trying to get my head wrapped around getting ready for an interview, getting rejected from a job and diving headfirst into OsaAka rarepair hell and voila, finally managed to resurface (still binging them so badly though haha!). Hope you guys liked this chapter! Hopefully once I'm done with my interview, I can get back into the swing to writing things when I have more peace of mind. 
> 
> Anyways, here is some SakuAtsu and a hint of HoshiHiru hell.

Sakusa hated tight spaces but he hated being crammed in said tight space with who knew how many people for a long period of time. Already he was beginning to feel his skin itch from the thought of constant contact with others, sweat permeating from his skin as he silently cursed to the gods on why he decided to run away from his comfortable life.

Right now, he was sandwiched between a crowd of people pushing towards the underground bunkers. After the alert had gone off of bomber jets heading their way, Sakusa had been shepherded from the confines of his room to join the mad crowd in their descent below. Sakusa wished he could just stay in the room; the chances of the roof caving in on them were slim anyways considering how much of bedrock was above their heads and not to mention that District 13 had enough firepower to knock a few jets out of the sky.

He should have just stayed in his jet and remained unseen instead of going to his room to freshen up. He already had to give up his ten-step skincare routine; he wasn’t about to lose his privilege of having personal space and cleanliness.

“Please enter the bunker in an orderly fashion!” one of the rangers called as Sakusa cursed to himself. The number of bodies pressing against him made his sweat break out, his fingers itching to scratch. He hated the fact he was afraid of germs, something that was absolutely unavoidable down here and that any contact of skin against him was enough to make him combust. A hand brushed against his, Sakusa trying not to conjure images of him getting infected as the hand circled around his tighter, followed by a familiar annoying voice.

“Omi! Thank goodness! I was looking for you!” Atsumu panted and for the first time in his life, Sakusa was actually glad to see the man’s face. Atsumu had his hair plastered against his forehead, making him look pretty hot in the dim light as they finally moved inside, Atsumu never letting go of his hand. Instead, he steered him towards the back, sitting him down on one of the bunks that were pressed furthest against the wall as Sakusa swiped his hand away from him.

“Thanks,” he muttered as he took out his hand sanitiser and proceeded to wipe his hands. He wished he could wipe down the bed (who knew how many years it has been since it was used) but sadly, he didn’t have any wipes.

“Ya think?” Atsumu grinned as he held up a pack of wipes, the grin on his face wide as Sakusa swiped the packet from him and began the process of wiping it down. Some District 13 citizens were whispering and pointing at him as he cleaned, although he had grown used to getting glared at for his cleaning rituals. After about ten minutes of cleaning and deeming it clean to sit on, Sakusa flopped down onto he bed, gently to avoid coughing up dust as Atsumu settled next to him about 2 metres apart.

“Funny they didn’t give us some kind of special treatment since we basically bailed out the Tributes,” Atsumu mused.

“I don’t think they have the space to do so. Suna is already lucky to be up in command most of the time and Moniwa has his own workshop. I wished they could have given me a lab to work on some stuff…” Sakusa missed working in the lab and fiddling with any genetic codes and creating new creatures, although that was something that could only be done in the Arena. Being confined in the safety of his own lab or working on his jet brought him comfort, the steady rhythm of working on something drawing his mind from other factors.

“Suna and Samu should be down here somewhere. Those two were… getting onto something when the alarm went off. Dammit, just because he’s my twin, doesn’t mean I need to share a damn room with him! He could have just gone to Suna’s room but no, he said he should stay with me and make sure I didn’t do anything stupid. That bastard doesn’t know the thing about privacy,” Atsumu pouted as Sakusa let out a tiny grin, although he quickly wiped it off his face before Atsumu noticed.

Soon, the doors to the bunker slammed shut, leaving them to sit in the darkness as all the lights went off. Some people shrieked as rumbling issues from above, dust shaking off the ceiling as some cowered underneath their bunks. Sakusa could feel his heartbeat picking up as the claustrophobia began to kick in, his fingers winding around themselves trying to distract him from the noises coming from around when Atsumu gave him a ball of what appeared to be wires.

“I thought you might need it. You don’t seem to like to be in these situations.”

“You can read minds, Miya?”

“Come on, how many times did I ask you to call me Atsumu? I don’t want to be called that when there is another Miya around who looks just like me,” Atsumu grunted as Sakusa picked up the ball of wire and began twisting it around. He continued to play with it as Atsumu watched him from the side, keeping his distance until Sakusa finally got bored of playing with the ball and decided to call it a night. By the looks of it, things weren’t going to settle any time soon and he rather have a good night sleep, to hell with bunking with whoever and all.

“Ya know, I can go somewhere else to sleep if you wanna,” Atsumu started as Sakusa shook his head, lying on the bed as he patted the side. There was barely enough space for him but he rather have Atsumu there with him than anyone else. As much as he annoyed him, Sakusa would rather have Atsumu with him. Atsumu raised an eyebrow before sliding next to him, their noses nearly touching as Sakusa closed his eyes, willing himself to go to sleep as Atsumu whispered, “Goodnight, Kiyoomi.”

“Goodnight, Atsumu,” Sakusa whispered as he felt his heart skip a bit at how beautiful Atsumu’s pronounced his name.

…

Kita spent the entire night awake along with Aran making sure that they didn’t get obliterated. Kita had been tempted several times to launch missiles at the jets and knock them out of the skies but knowing how risky it would be to reveal their location, he spent most of the time instead chewing his lip and praying that he had made the right choice as the ceiling threatened to cave in at any given moment.

“Reduce oxygen levels to 14%,” he ordered as he sucked in a breath. They couldn’t risk losing any more resources at this rate; the people were going to have to suffer for a while longer. Aran nodded as he adjusted the levels, the pressure in the room dropping as Kita took a low breath.

Kita had never wanted to be a leader. He just wanted to work and live in peace without having any bloodshed. If he had the chance, he wanted to go out into the outside world, live on a farm and plant rice to feed the people. They did have an underground paddy field down there that he always helped out in but he wished he did have the chance to see how it was like to live out in the surface.

When he was fifteen, a plague had run rampant across the District. Small pox they called it and it wiped out nearly half of their population, taking with the most of the elderly generation. Kita had survived the plague but lost his grandmother and parents to it in the process. He could only watch as the President of that time made all the wrong decisions, deciding to leave the elderly to go and focusing on finding a cure for the younger ones only for them to lose most of the people who actually had the knowledge and skills to keep the place running. Even the President himself fell victim to the plague in the end, leaving them leaderless and heartbroken.

Kita had spent every moment beside his grandmother, not caring if he would contract the disease at all. His grandmother had been one of the best Healers in the District and had saved so many people’s lives but no one managed to save hers in the end. Kita always wished he had just taken her away from the place and lived somewhere isolated, just the two of them without having to deal with the politics of the world but of course, he had chickened out about it and she was now paying the price.

“Shin-chan, don’t cry. I’m an old lady now, I’ve lived my fill of life,” his granny smiled as she coughed. Her body was covered with sores and blood dribbled from her mouth with each cough. The tiny woman’s body shook as Kita kissed her hand, praying so hard to the gods to heal her as he whispered, “I don’t want to lose you too.”

“Don’t worry, Shin-chan. Granny will be going to a better place.”

She placed a hand on his cheek as she stroked his pale skin, tears rolling down his eyes as she smiled, “You know, Shin-chan, the gods are always watching what we do so if you do good deeds, the gods will one day reward you.”

_“Gods? What gods? What kind of gods would allow people to die left and right? Why would they take away everyone precious to me when I have been obeying their laws?”_ Kita thought as his granny slowly slipped away from him, her hand growing weak as she gave him one final smile, “Be happy, Shin-chan.”

He couldn’t even hold a proper funeral for her. All the bodies had been cremated together, their ashes mingling as the smoke rose in the sky. Kita could only watch from the sidelines as his grandmother burned, his eyes shining as he clenched his fist.

“Hey, Kita? You alright?” Aran asked as he patted him on the back. Kita would have never gotten to where he was without Aran, the man had been his friend since they were children and supported him in his reign as President. He had taken up the position quite young, most people thinking he couldn’t lead but so far, Kita had kept them alive. And he planned to keep it that way.

“I’m fine. What's the situation?”

“Jets appear to be circling the airspace. It doesn’t seem like they will drop any more bombs.” Its been three hours since they began the assault but Kita wasn’t going to take any chances.

“Keep your eyes opened for any activity. It's going to be a long night,” Kita muttered as he yawned, praying that he made the right decision of not blasting those jets out of the sky.

…

“ _Hoshiumi,” a voice spoke as Hoshiumi opened his eyes. In front of him was a white landscape, clouds surrounding him as he tried to move. He felt like he was stepping on air as he moved forward, his eyes widening as he saw Hirugami walking towards him, a smile on his face as Hoshiumi cried out, “Sachiro!”_

_He fell into his open arms as Hirugami carded his fingers through his hair, shushing him as he whispered, “My body hurts so much. They keep torturing me for information but I don’t know anything. All so I can see you again… why do they want to hurt us so much?”_

_“Shh, its ok, Korai. It's going to be ok,” Hirugami whispered as he pecked a kiss on Hoshoumi’s head._

_“Just a while longer. Help is on the way.”_

_“What about you? I couldn’t see you or hear you. What did they do to you?”_

_“I’m sorry, Korai. But I’m going to head off first,” Hirugami said sadly as Hoshiumi wept, “No. Please don’t leave me. I don’t have anyone else. You’re my everything.” Hirugami gently placed a hand on his face, bringing his face close as he sealed his lips with his. Hirugami was always so gentle with him; he was by his side when he lost his family and stayed by his side to make sure he survived the Hunger Games. He even chose to stand by him knowing full well he could be killed in the Quarter Quell._

_“I love you, Korai. Always remember that. I will always be in your heart.”_

_“No…, please… don’t leave me!”_

Hoshiumi woke up to tears in his eyes, sobbing as he looked around him. He was back in the torturing chamber, his body strapped to the table as he tried to move. His body aches from all the injection and lacerations they had done to him, his head slowly turning to see the body strapped onto the table next to him.

“Sachiro, what did they do to you?” he whispered as he cried, knowing full well that he rather wished he was dead than being alive right now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for the past twp weeks but real life has been hell. Didn't get into the postgrad choice I've been waiting to hear from after nearly half a year of waiting and just contemplating on what the hell life is about right now. With everything going on, just trying to finish this story before I have to go for my postgrad in September. That doesn't mean this story will go to shit (I hope my writing hasn't gone to shit at this point) and I will continue to write this to the best of my abilities.
> 
> Anyways, today is my birthday and with chapter 401 coming out, can't wish for a better birthday gift.

Tendou hadn’t felt this confused ever since he had to pick between fashion school and staying in the military academy. That had been fairly straight forward since he hated being called the Guess Monster by his fellow soldiers, due to his capability of guessing their moves before they even had time to strike and causing quite a few serious injuries and several people to quit from the program. Going to fashion school had been one of his choices anyways since he did manage to get good grades back in his school in art and he didn’t want to have to deal with the mockery of being a monster anymore. As much as he liked to carve up his enemies with a knife and make bombs, fashion was the way to go and after much training, he finally managed to secure his dream job of working with Tributes.

Life in the other Districts was something that fascinated Tendou since he was a child. The Tendou family were well known for their eccentric ways as well as their reputation of being good Escorts to Tributes from prominent Districts such as 1, 2 and 4. Tendou had heard a lot of stories from his parents growing up about how life in the Districts was and that he should be grateful for what he had.

Why did the Districts suffer so much for the sins of their ancestors? That was one thing he never understood; making the living suffer for the crimes of dead men. No matter what atrocities are committed to the living, the dead won’t even stir from their eternal slumber to pay attention to them so what was the point of making them suffer.

But one thing humans always clung onto in the darkest of times was hope. Hope was the only thing stronger than fear, something Tendou firmly believed in until he met Ushijima and Semi.

These two were unlike any other Tributes he had seen. They were open about their ambitions and didn’t stop twice to think about how the public would view their relationship as Victors. Ushijima being the son of two past Victors was famous in the Capitol and Semi was a Victor who lost his limbs in the final round of the Games. That didn’t stop the two of them from surviving and coming out at the top, even getting together in the end. Tendou felt jealousy licking up in his heart whenever he saw the two of them together.

Was that what it felt like to be in love with two people who were already in love?

It broke Tendou to think that he would never be able to be part of their relationship. Ushijima cared for Semi in a way Tendou wasn’t sure if he was capable off; he wasn’t as gentle and kind to Semi as he would like, his tongue often getting the better of him with jokes. Even when he had the chance to speak to the Victor, when he saw that he only had eyes for Ushijima and wouldn’t give him the light of day, Tendou immediately shrunk back from his advances.

Now, he lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling, trying not to notice how Semi lay curled up in Ushijima’s strong arms. The rumbling from above had finally stopped but given how mentally exhausted everyone was from the ordeal, most of them had drifted off to sleep. Ushijima and Semi had fallen asleep not too long ago, Iwaizumi sleeping with his mother after getting a concussion while Tendou could only stare at the ceiling and imagine how it would be like to be in bed with someone he loved curled up next to him. He never did have any lovers, he didn’t want to give up his first or his heart to someone he knew wouldn’t commit to him.

Being alone felt so cold.

Before he could try and shut his eyes once more, there was a tap on his arm as well as a whisper as a light shone into his eyes, “Tendou, you’re needed up in command. I will call Atsumu as well so please wait a minute.” It was Aran, one of Kita’s subordinates. Tendou saw him around quite a bit since he was often asked on how to make the propaganda videos and found the man to be quite pleasant. What he didn’t understand was what he wanted with Atsumu; the man wasn’t exactly the best person in creating videos. Most of the ones he made reminded Tendou of bad movie trailers he had seen in the cinemas in the Capitol.

Just thinking about the latest one made him cringe.

Once the other boy had been roused from his sleep (he seemed quite pissed to the point all the fur on his ears and tail were standing up as he walked over), they headed up to command, passing by rubble and leaking pipes. It took everything for Tendou to not fall on his face as they walked up, Atsumu whining about how he wanted to cuddle with Sakusa again (Tendou wondered if he hadn’t been dreaming about it since Sakusa wouldn’t let anyone near him from a 2 metre radius).

“Good morning,” Kita called as the two bowed to him. the Capitol wasn’t accustomed to the act of bowing before others; they only see other Capitol citizens as equals and the other Districts as scum but the two of them quickly learned that it was wise to show respect to the leader of District 13. He was about the only reason they were allowed to walk freely and not be beheaded the moment they stepped on-site, deeming them useful when it comes to learning Capitol secrets. With Tendou being one of the few people that Iwaizumi trusted and Atsumu knowing all the juicy gossip and secrets of the Capitol, they have proved useful by far.

“Good morning, Kita-san. How goes things up here?” Atsumu asked as he looked at the monitors. The sun appeared to be rising in the horizon, revealing parts of the District that had been reduced to rubble in the war and from the bombing the previous night. Some staff members were dozing in their seats after working the entire night, Kita seemed to be the only one who was fully functioning in the room as he sighed, “We don’t have much internal damage. Most of it hit bedrock so the worse we have are some pipes leaking and some rubble that needs to be removed. The only concern I have is this.”

He tapped the screen to reveal the now crumbled entrance of one of the plane hangars. The sun had risen high enough for them to see what lay scattered on the ground, a grim smile forming on his face as Atsumu whistled, “That old man never stops with this, doesn’t he?”

  
“I want you to film Iwaizumi with this for another propaganda video. We need to let the Capitol and Districts know that we are safe after the bombing. While we didn’t manage to take out any enemy ships, the fact that we had zero casualties without any prior warning is a miracle on its own.”

“Do you really think Iwaizumi would want to be a part of a propaganda video knowing that it would hurt Oikawa even more? Unless,” Tendou’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Kita, “You haven’t told him about him, haven’t you?”

“We can’t afford for him to step down right now. We need him to be the symbol of the rebellion. If we show him what was happening to Oikawa…”

“It would break him to know that Oikawa is being held hostage. Do you think he wouldn’t find out eventually? It's only a matter of time until he sends out a nationwide broadcast about Oikawa being held captive along with the other Tributes.”

“I have a plan in place. For now, just listen to my orders. I’m not in the mood for an argument,” Kita grunted as he pressed his fingers to his temples. Atsumu looked like he wanted to try and give him a massage to calm his nerves down, although the fox seemed to know better as Kita sighed, “Once you’re done with the filming, bring him here. I want to have a word with him.”

…

Iwaizumi groaned as he was shaken awake. Luckily for him, his concussion seemed to have died down, although there was still a light throbbing in his head as he opened his eyes. Tendou grinned down at him, his red hair now lying flat on his face as he put a finger to his lips, “Come on up. We need to go do some work.” Iwaizumi still found it odd to see Tendou looking like that; he looked much calmer with his hair down like that, less wild. He hadn’t had much of a chance to chat with his former stylist ever since they had arrived in District 13; Tendou spent most of his days teaching the younger recruits hand to hand combat or working with Moniwa in the workshop.

Iwaizumi slowly got up from the bed, doing his best not to rouse his mother as Tendou grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet as gently as he could. The two of them tiptoed past the bunks, heading to the main door as Tendou whispered for him to duck at certain parts. Iwaizumi didn’t have to look far to get splashed in the face by some stray water, the water clinging to his face as he walked up. The stairs he had been running down last night was now slick with water and concrete, his hand gripping onto the railing for support. Tendou led him topside, weaving past the communal areas and living quarters to bring him outside when Iwaizumi felt his stomach sink.

White roses littered the ground outside, most of them still fresh as he tiptoed through. Atsumu waved from one of the concrete blocks, his tail swishing to his side as he held the camera in his hand, “Morning. Not the best thing to see first thing in the morning but we need to get some filming done. Kita’s orders.”

Iwaizumi remembered what these white roses meant. The flowers were meant to show that Washijou was supposed to be the benevolent and pure president he was. White roses were often sent to people as warnings that if they dared defied his orders, their blood would paint the roses red as it did in the Alice in Wonderland tales.

Tendou slowly did his best to make sure Iwaizumi looked camera-ready before leading him to stand in the front. Iwaizumi could only look so good with his grey jumpsuit on, his feet crunching some of the flowers as Atsumu drawled, “So tell the audience that you are alive and that District 13 is alright after surviving a bombing. We had no casualties and are still capable of marching on.”

“Who the hell writes the damn script?”

“Kita gives me the ideas. I write them down.”

“They sound pretty shitty to me,” Iwaizumi grunted as Atsumu snapped, “As if you’re any better, you antisocial gorilla with no brains!”

“Please, its too early in the morning for arguing,” Tendou groaned when his foot collided with a metal device, the device rolling into the centre of the pit as it hit Iwaizumi on the foot. Iwaizumi picked it up just as the device twitched in his hand before sparking to life, a hologram appearing before his eyes as Washijou smiled before him.

“Good morning Iwaizumi. I trust that you liked the flowers. I see you haven’t bothered with my previous warning, or perhaps it’s the fact that the truth has been kept from you.” Iwaizumi gulped as the man continued, “I told you to stop your nonsense. The Capitol will not tolerate such defiance. Food sources are getting cut off as we speak, power being lost throughout the country. All because of the hope you give them as the Mockingjay. I have to admit that hope is the only thing stronger than fear, but at the same time, that very same hope can be used as a weapon.”

The camera shifted to a boy strapped onto a metal table, his lower half-covered with a bloody cloth as he writhed in his chains. He screamed against his gag as he tried to break free, his eyes wrapped with cloth as Iwaizumi whispered, “Tooru.”

“I told you that he will pay for the consequences of your actions. Mark my words; the next time you send out a propaganda video or rile up the masses, he will pay with his life. He has so much hope that you will save him, you better live up to his expectations.”

The video ended with Oikawa being injected with a substance that made his veins burn from the inside, the boy screaming in pain as he was cut off. Iwaizumi dropped the device onto the ground before making his way inside, both men not stopping him as Atsumu groaned, “Kita is going to get hit so badly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I just had to throw in some unrequinted UshiTen and SemiTen yesh
> 
> Hope you guys liked this chapter! Comments and kudos will really make my day!!!


	10. Plan of attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get back into the rhythm of posting twice a week for each of my fics so here is the next chapter! Put on the soundtrack for the movies and listening to it just brought so much nolstagia from my teenage days and then I realise, I'm freaking old now wth???
> 
> Also, this story has hit 1k hits yahoo and also managed to hit chapter 10! Dammit seems like forever since this journey started (couple of months now fufu). 
> 
> Enjoy!

Iwaizumi should have known. He was an idiot for not pressing him for more information. What the hell had he been thinking when it came to trusting the man in charge of a District that has been kept underground for decades?

Hadn’t he not learned from the Hunger Games to never trust anyone at 100%?

The door to the command centre banged open, Aran reaching to yank out his gun, his finger barely hovering on the trigger as Kita told him to stand down. The man in question merely looked at him with quizzical eyes, yellow meeting brown as Iwaizumi snarled, “You’re a damn liar. You never told me Oikawa was being tortured for everything we did!”

“Of course I wouldn’t tell you. Why would I when it would dampen whatever motivation you had to be the Mockingjay?”

“He’s dying right now for all we know!”

“And for that, I am willing to sacrifice. He’s dead to most of the world to begin with, not even his mother knows that he lives.”

“That doesn’t mean he should be used as a pawn!” Iwaizumi yelled as he marched over to Kita, grabbing the man by the collar and slamming him down onto the table. Aran shouted as some of the staff roused from their sleep, their hands gripping onto their weapons as they pointed their guns to Iwaizumi’s head. The Tribute didn’t care as he held Kita against the table, his grip unyielding as he growled, “Find someone else to be your damn Mocking jay. I’m going to rescue him on my own.”

  
“And what? You can’t even sit on a plane without puking? What about a team and how you’re going to get into the Capitol’s defences?”

“I will figure something out.”

“And then what? What happens if you arrive there to find him dead?” Iwaizumi’s hands moved towards Kita’s neck to bring him into a chokehold, the sound of triggers being clicked filling the air as Kita remained impassive. He didn’t even flinch as his face grew paler, the wind getting knocked out of his lungs as Iwaizumi growled, “Then I would rather die with him.”

Iwaizumi didn’t expect to feel a knee to his groin as Kita kicked him, the Tribute’s grip on him loosening on him enough for him to grab his arm and twist it behind his back. Iwaizumi yelled as he tried to kick back, the door slamming open to reveal a frantic looking Moniwa clutching onto a laptop as he yelled, “I did it! I cracked into their systems!”

Iwaizumi opened his mouth to shut one more time when he felt something piercing his neck, the muscles in his body getting weaker as he collapsed onto the table. He felt his eyes droop as he tried to curse, his body failing him as Kita whispered into his ear, his breath tickling the shell of his ear, “Stay out of my way for now. I’m not as cruel and stupid as you think I am.”

…

Moniwa had always found peace working with computers. Ever since he was a child, he loved sitting down and working through complex computer programs with his father and mother, his parents showing him how to crack and create codes ever since he could read. By the time he was a teenager, he was just as good of an engineer as people who had fully qualified, spending his days creating codes that may one day be used to make Panem a safer place.

Never did he think there was such a thing was doing a job that was too good.

Moniwa grunted as he ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at the monitor in front of him. He had spent days trying to crack his very own code, a code he created to ensure that the Capitol’s security would be secured. When he had emerged as Victor of his Hunger Games, Moniwa had been tasked with creating the defence systems for the country and he had taken it like a fish to water. At that time, the only thing he could think of was fighting and protecting his country with his skills even though it had tried to kill him in a punishment game.

Even with Suna’s help, he barely managed to even get a single code cracked after a week of attempting. Suna himself said that the defence system was next to flawless; Moniwa could only groan at how he wished he hadn’t done his job so well in the first place as he tried to crack the code, running algorithms and programs into his computer.

He didn’t even notice the ceiling rumbling above his head, his mind so immersed in his work that he didn’t notice the alarms blaring above him. He continued to work through the bombings until he finally passed out from his work, waking up to realise that all the lights had been switched off, the emergency lights shining above his head. He was surprised his computer hadn’t been switched off when he realised he had designed if to be able to run without a power source for hours on end, including a backup generator when he saw the light blue signs on the monitor, indicating he had finally bypassed the system. He adjusted his glasses to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, even giving the monitor a few taps before letting out a shout of triumph.

What he didn’t expect was Iwaizumi being tackled to the table by a very pissed off Kita and at least five guns trained at the Tribute's head before he fell unconscious, Kita thrusting him into Aran’s arms to be locked up in his room as Kita finally turned to him. The glare in the man’s eyes was enough to make Moniwa want to melt into a puddle; he hated being looked at like he was about to get killed. Having been in the Hunger Games once and having people trying to kill him had those eyes burned into his mind forever.

“You finally cracked the code?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Good. I will call the others in.” Moniwa sucked in a breath as Kita instructed some of his subordinates to call the Tributes over, his skin tingling as he remembered the plan that Kita had informed him a while ago.

Going back into the Capitol with everything going on would be suicide. But Kita seemed to care more for Iwaizumi than he thought he did enough to go and try and bring back a dead man.

…

Ushijima let out a low whine as he was roused from his sleep, a chuckle sounding from nearby as Tendou smirked at him, “Who knew the great Wakatoshi could even whine?” The man still wasn’t used to seeing the stylist with his plain get up of a grey jumpsuit and his hair hanging on the sides of his face; it made him look younger and even more handsome. Ushijima gave himself a mental slap as Tendou poked Semi in the cheeks, calling out, “Semi-semi, wakey wakey.”

“Shut it, Tendou,” Semi groaned as Ushijima gave him a peck on the head, “Come on, love. Kita has requested our presence.”

“Kita can go to hell. I want to sleep,” Semi grunted as Tendou chuckled, “You will like what he has in store for you.” That made Semi’s eye crack open ever so slightly as Ushijima finally pulled himself into a sitting position when he heard some shuffling, followed by a head with sleepy eyes as Suna grunted, “Come on. Kita wouldn’t like it if we didn’t hurry up.” His neck was littered with fading bruises and Ushijima didn’t have to be a genius (he was a genius in all aspects but in love but he had improved a lot) to know what he did.

Tendou led them up to top side into the command room to see a group having huddled around them. Atsumu yawned from his chair as Aran asked if he wanted a cup of coffee to which the former host rejected. Sakusa sat opposite him, his mask pulled on as Ushijima asked, “I do not see Iwaizumi.”

“Iwaizumi has been put out of commission for the time being. I have called you gentlemen here specifically for a mission that requires skilled hands,” Kita said as he motioned Moniwa forward. The Victor squeaked as he flipped through his tablet, swiping some images onto the screen as he said, “This morning, Iwaizumi retrieved a message from Washijou on Oikawa’s situation. I’ve managed to crack the code and get into their system this morning to wreak havoc with their security systems. After analysing the device, I managed to trace the signal to the Tribute centre in the Capitol. I believe that is where they are being held.”

Ushijima frowned as he looked at the images on the screen. To be able to know where the Tributes were being held after being kept hidden for so long, it seemed almost too easy for them to glean such precious information from a single device. He didn’t doubt Moniwa’s skills, to say the least, but he couldn’t stop the nagging feeling eating at the back of his mind.

“You’re suggesting a rescue mission?”

“We have reason to believe that Oikawa may be executed. With their defenses down, now will be the best time to strike back.”

“Does Iwaizumi know of this?”

“He does, which is why I can’t afford to put him on the mission. His feelings would get in the way of the rescue. Which brings me to the next agenda,” Kita said as Aran spoked, “We need six people to volunteer to rescue Oikawa and the other Tributes.”

“Most of you don’t know Oikawa but unless we get him back, Iwaizumi may cease to cooperate with us. I will personally join in the mission myself as one of the retrievers, but I need another six, one for piloting and another five to come in with me.” The Victors stayed silent for a moment when Tendou spoked up, his hand rising in the air as he smirked, “I always wanted to say this, but I volunteer. You’re going to need someone who can navigate the building.”

“I will as well,” Suna said as Kita nodded, “Three more.”

“I will go,” Semi said as Ushijima whispered, “Eita, are you sure?”

“I’ve been through worse, I will be fine,” Semi smiled as he gave his fingers a squeeze. Kita nodded as Aran lifted his hand, “I will go too.”

One year ago, he had done this to save his fiancé from certain death and now, he was going in to save a boy he didn’t even consider a friend. He still remembered how he had called Oikawa foolish for not wanting to pair up with Kageyama and Hinata when they were some of the strongest Tributes in the Games. If he had joined them, all of this might not have even happened and he could be alive while Iwaizumi would have died. Everything would be at peace.

But was such peace worth it at the price of innocent children being murdered for sport?

Before he could lift his hand though, the door banged open to reveal a flustered looking Matsukawa, groaning at how bad the stairs were as he growled, “I don’t care what you say about this old man, but I’m volunteering to bring Oikawa back. Not gonna fail the kid one more time on my watch.”

“Excellent. You leave at 1900 hours tonight.” Kita swivelled his head to lock eyes with Ushijima, who was still stunned at what just happened as he said, “Don’t worry, this will work out nicely for what we have in store for you.”

…

Oikawa twisted in his table as he tried to move. The day had been quiet, far too quiet for his liking. He hadn’t had anything done to him the whole day, his skin actually tingling from the lack of torture being inflicted onto him. Heck, his body yearned to even have something ripping him apart or having something injected into him that made his mind go crazy.

The other Tributes hadn’t made any moves as well. A few days ago, one of them had died while the other, he believed he heard his name was Sachiro, had died about a week ago, although they had kept his body for some… modifications. Oikawa didn’t even want to think what they had done to him or the other one that had passed on; the scientists in the Capitol really knew how to make monsters.

The doctors had come in for a while before leaving, not even bothering to lock the doors behind them as they switched off the lights. Oikawa was left with the light of the tank containing the mutts swimming nearby, the light from it making his stomach churn from remembering the number of times he had been dunked inside. The mutts would speak to him sometimes, although he wasn’t sure if it was just him going mad at this point and reminding him of what he had done to them.

“Oikawa, are you lonely?” a voice called as Suga pressed his face against the tank. Oikawa sucked in a breath as he tried not to think of the Tribute dying in his arms, blood dribbling from his mouth as he slowly sang to him. He didn’t reply as Suga sang a low tune, the song drifting in his mind as he tried to get himself to sleep.

_“Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of grass, a soft green pillow. Lay down your head, and close your eyes, and when they open, the sun will rise.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone wanted to hear the song, here is the link to it : [Deep in the meadow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjhPFj1FjlY). I just had to include it in the series; absolutely loved it!
> 
> Hope you guys liked this!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is a very sad day for the Haikyuu fandom with the manga coming to an end after eight long years. Gahh found this fandom when I was about to go to uni and I totally fell in love with it. I am so happy to be proud of this fandom and Haikyuu family is the best thing I ever came across. I will miss these boys so much but at least they will live on through the anime and fanfics.
> 
> Finally managed to finish one of my OsaSuna fanfics yay! Had that sitting around for a month not touching it so glad that I managed to finish it and can now concentrate on this and my Fukurodani Babysitters fic.
> 
> Enjoy.

Osamu considered himself a very simple man. He just had to work hard, fulfil his parents' expectations, follow the ways of the Capitol and get a good job that allowed him to follow those said ways. Living in the Capitol came with both privileges and curses; while you could live a lifestyle filled with the wonders of the world and not worry about how things pan out, you were never truly allowed to be your own self.

Being thrust out into the middle of nowhere and becoming a chef in District 13’s cafeteria turned out to be something he never expected he would enjoy so much. Not only did he enjoy using his hands to create something to be eaten and enjoyed by others, but finally being with people who didn’t judge him of his status (well, as much as he could avoid being referred to as the Capitol boy) made him feel as though he could finally breathe. The kitchen had a surprisingly good selection of ingredients to choose from and Osamu could finally do what he does best; making onigiri.

What made things even more fun was the fact that he could be around Suna. After the party at President Washijou’s residence, he had begun to stay in contact with him not only for reasons regarding the rebellion but also for purely out of interests. He had even gone out with him sometimes in the Capitol to cafes and restaurants that Osamu barely had time to go to; and also because he didn’t want to go alone. Most of the places included a lot of couples or he just felt awkward. Atsumu wasn’t the best companion to drag out to these places with his flashy looks and how girls and men alike would always squeal his praises.

Sometimes Suna would come by and just watch him in the kitchen. While some of the cooks found it a bit annoying and disturbing to find someone hovering over their workstation and staring at one of their colleagues, it wasn’t as though they could do anything to stop him. They weren’t governed by the strict timetabling system the District used, where people would have their schedules tattooed onto their wrists every morning detailing what they had to do across the day. Instead, they were allowed to do as they please, as long as they do something that benefited the District. Suna had gone to command and helped out with Moniwa in cracking codes while Osamu found a new home in the kitchen.

That didn’t stop Atsumu from swinging by to annoy him at times. Most of the time he found himself being bombarded with Atsumu’s whining about how to ask Sakusa out or just Atsumu goading him on about his status with Suna, much to his annoyance. Why the hell did they have to room instead of having their own quarters?

“Don’t tell me you’re actually interested in him? You never liked anything other than onigiri before; I swore you were gonna marry one at some point in your life,” Atsumu had said through a mouthful of onigiri. Osamu had to do his best to not pour green tea over his twin’s head; he didn’t know if he liked Suna or not. He never felt attracted to anyone before, always finding it a distraction and love in the Capitol was often considered very superficial, people just slept around anyway.

“If you actually get somewhere with Sakusa, you can start questioning about my relationship.”

“Sheesh, I’m working on it!”

One thing the twins are very similar to other than their looks was their stupidity in love.

Osamu never did manage to find the chance to actually talk to Suna about things. He could see Suna trying to slip some hints like a slow touch on the hand or the electric feeling of him just being near him. Osamu was a sucker when it came to Suna; his brain went dead whenever he was with him and he didn’t know what to do.

Which was why he was debating at this moment on whether he should send the boy off in case he never came back.

After the little fiasco of Iwaizumi being knocked out in the control room, Osamu found it his responsibility to watch over the Tribute the best he could. He remembered just how feisty Iwaizumi could get when it came to his friend and now that they were finally going to rescue him, Osamu wasn’t sure if the man they would come back with would be the same man he was before. The Capitol was known to concoct the worse punishments known to man and Osamu could only imagine what had been inflicted on Oikawa during his stay there.

He gently ran a hand through Iwaizumi’s hair before letting the boy sleep, his mother coming in to make sure her son stayed under before walking out. He found himself making his way towards the hangar, rubble from the assault the previous day having been cleared out enough to make way for a single jet ready to depart. Several men in dark combat gear mingled about, testing their weapons before pulling on their helmets. That gave Osamu enough time to make out Suna, who was adjusting his headset on his head.

Dang, did Suna look good in combat gear. His tousled hair matched the dark combat suit well; he had several knives strapped on his person even though he would be piloting the ship but one could never know. His pants were tucked into shiny combat boots and the uniform fit his already fit body snuggly. Osamu tried not to imagine how it would be like to feel Suna’s body with his fingers without his uniform, his cheeks turning red when he saw Suna beginning to approach him, a tiny smile playing about his lips.

“Here to see us off?”

“Nah. Just wanted to make sure you don’t die before taking off.” He was scared, so scared that Suna wouldn’t make it back. Even with the power down in the Capitol, there was still the slimmest chance that they wouldn’t be able to make it back. It was the Capitol, a den full of snakes and who knew what else the term encompasses. He didn’t want to lose Suna, not when he finally found someone he could actually bare himself to.

Suna squeaked as Osamu grabbed his head and crashed his lips onto his, the kiss quick but rough as he quickly pulled apart. This was the first time Osamu had ever kissed anyone and he be well damned if Suna enjoyed the damn thing.

When he finally looked up to see the other man’s reaction, Suna’s face was red enough to become a traffic light, Tendou letting out a hyena cackle from inside the jet as Aran called for him to join the team.

“Uh, that’s for good luck,” Osamu stammered as Suna hid his face behind his hands. Osamu thought he really managed to deal the final blow to their friendship when Suna peeked from behind his hands to give him a tiny smile that made Osamu’s stomach do summersaults.

“I will make it back. wouldn’t be able to give you a better kiss if I don’t, right?” he smirked as Osamu mentally combusted, remaining rooted in his spot as Suna waved. The man stepped onto the jet, taking his place in the pilot’s seat before beginning to take off. The ramp to the jet hid him from view as it closed, the jet rumbling as it took off into the night sky to leave Osamu with his thoughts and his blushing face.

“Shit, why is he so hot and cute at the same time?” Osamu groaned as he continued to watch the jet disappearing into the distance, the doors to the hangar finally sliding shut to cast the space into complete darkness.

…

“Alright, Ushiwaka. If you could stand here… perfect,” Atsumu smirked as he balanced himself on top of a rock. Sakusa watched from the sidelines, his mask drawn over his face as he tried to stifle a yawn. Right now, the jet with the rescue team had just taken off, leaving the camera crew to begin the little filming session with Ushijima. The Tribute found it intriguing that Moniwa was able to come up with a tactic to scramble the airspace with the video, although Ushijima wasn’t sure how he was about to go about talking about whatever that could stall the Capitol from sniffing out their trail.

“Ready?” Atsumu asked as Ushijima stepped onto the floor littered with white roses. None of the roses had yet to wilt, their metals soft as his boots crunched onto them. The sickly smell of thousands of roses made Ushijima’s stomach turn, the Tribute nodding to the camera as Sakusa checked his watch.

“And you can begin in 3, 2, 1. Action.”

“My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, Victor of the 70th Annual Hunger Games and I am here to send you a message. I am standing here in District 13 and we are alive and well. You may think that the Capitol has shown Panem a lot of mercy and grace, but what I am about to tell you may unravel your expectations of President Washijou forever.

This is my story as a Victor and a slave to the Capitol."

…

Matsukawa groaned as he leaned back in his chair, the rattling of the jet doing very little to make him feel any less nervous. While Suna had tried his best to make sure they didn’t have too much turbulence, that didn’t stop the jet from shaking and nearly sending Matsukawa tumbling to the ground. He held onto his chair, too distracted by the shaking to actually go through his weapons check as Tendou watched him from beside him.

The Capitol man seemed perfectly fine with checking his weapons. He was even polishing some of his knives with ease, cooeing at how beautiful they were before stashing them away in his pockets. Matsukawa doubted they would be needing knives in this situation but it could never hurt to have more weapons.

“Hey, Matsun. Why are you so nervous?” Tendou asked as Matsukawa gritted his teeth, “You know I don’t like flying. I have a bad feeling about this as well. Are you even sure Ushiwaka’s even capable of stalling them with his little speech? The man isn’t someone to talk much.”

“Say more about him and you’re going to get it,” Semi growled from across them, his bow already notched with an arrow as Aran sighed, “Come on guys. Focus. We have about ten minutes to get in and out of the facility before we get caught. Ushijima will be fine; Atsumu knows how to get his guests talking when needed.”

“Entering Capitol Airspace in two minutes. Brace yourselves,” Suna called as the Victors fell silent. Aran took to checking the radar, his eyes scanning it to see if there were any enemy jets in the area while whispering something into Kita’s ear. The man was a mystery; why would the leader of an underground city want to risk his life for a single Tribute who no one knew whether was alive or dead?

Tendou began to whistle a low tune under his breath, Semi holding onto his bow against his chest as Matsukawa tapped his feet against the floor of the ship. As he looked out, he could roughly make out several steel towers rising from the earth, darkness enveloping them as Kita spoke for the first time since takeoff, “Moniwa, what's the status?”

“Shields still down. Ushijima-san is doing nicely.”

“Entering Capitol airspace in 3, 2, 1… we’re in,’ Suna announced Matsukawa sucked in a breath, anticipating they would get blown out of the sky when they sailed through without any problems. Tendou gave a smile as the familiar skyline of the Capitol came into view, although now it was enveloped in darkness. It was so strange to see the city that never sleeps now dark, Matsukawa squinting to see where the Tribute tower was when Suna announced that they were going to be dropped off in two minutes.

The men got to work in pulling over their night vision goggles, Matsukawa swivelling his head to see Kita approaching them. The man only had one gun strapped to his hip, moving to tug onto the rope that would help their descent into the Tower as he said to the team, “We’re here to retrieve the Tributes. Unless necessary, don’t shoot anyone or anything.”

“May the odds be in our favour I guess,” Tendou grinned as Suna opened the hatch, the doors opening to reveal the dark tower beneath them as Kita signalled them to get ready. Matsukawa gripped onto his rope, trying not to sweat as Kita leapt off the ramp, beginning his descent into the darkness as the rest began to join in.

“Here goes nothing,” he murmured as he leapt into the night, the wind whipping against his face as he felt himself getting enveloped by darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Going to have to rewatch the final movie to get my brain into working order and write better so here we go!


	12. Chapter 12

_Iwaizumi shuddered as he opened his eyes, the sun hitting his eyes fiercely as he squeezed them back shut. Damn, he was going to kill Kita for giving him that medicine; what the hell was that man even thinking in knocking him out instead of going to save Oikawa?_

_“Morning, gorgeous,” a voice purred as Iwaizumi didn’t dare to turn his gaze, fixing it on the ceiling. It was always a dream whenever he appeared, he didn’t know how many times it has been that he had dreams of waking up next to his friend and kissing him away or just holding onto him, afraid that he would crumble into dust. Sometimes, Oikawa would smile and whisper his name before fading into sparkles of light. Other times he would wake up to see Oikawa bleeding in his arms, an arrow pierced through his throat the way it had to Kageyama as he bled out. Iwaizumi would always, always watch Oikawa die. Never once in a single dream did Oikawa survive._

_“Wake up, sleepyhead. Sun’s rising,” Oikawa whispered as he gave Iwaizumi a peck on the cheek. The Victor didn’t want to move, Oikawa draping himself across his chest as he drew circles across it. Iwaizumi hadn’t realised he wasn’t wearing a shirt, Oikawa’s skin pale in the light as curtains fluttered in his vision._

_In this dream, they were lying in a four-poster bed, the thin material around them fluttering in the wind as the sun blinked in from the open windows. The sound of birds chirping outside as well as the glimpse of an apple tree hanging at the window made Iwaizumi want to close his eyes and go back to sleep. Instead, Oikawa gave him another kiss, then another before wrapping himself in Iwaizumi._

_“Neh, Oikawa. When am I ever going to see you again?”_

_“What do you mean? I’m always here with you.”_

_“You always disappear from me. In my dreams and in real life, no matter how much I try to reach out to you, you will always fade away.” Iwaizumi bit his lip as he tried not to hold onto the hope that he kept onto for so long. He didn’t want Oikawa to suffer anymore in the hands of the Capitol; why did he have to be the reason so many people died? District 12’s destruction, Suga and Yachi’s deaths, Kageyama’s murder… the list goes on._

_Oikawa wrapped his arms around his neck as he pulled him into a gentle kiss, Iwaizumi leaning into it as the brunette whispered against his lips, “We will meet again soon. I promise.” His eyes shone in the light as he leaned in to kiss him once more, his lips moving to shape a song that his mother always sang to them when they were kids as Iwaizumi closed his eyes._

_“Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of grass, a soft green pillow. Lay down your head and close your eyes. And when they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it’s safe, and here it’s warm. Here the daisies guard you against every harm. Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place, where I love you.”_

_“Now, Hajime. Wake up. Time to wake up.”_

“Iwaizumi, wake up,” a voice called as someone shook on his shoulder. Iwaizumi slowly opened his eyes, Matsukawa’s worried face swimming into view as the older Victor asked, “Are you alright?” Iwaizumi reached out to feel tear tracks streaming on his face, his fingers coming away wet as he rubbed them away. Shit, why did he always cry when it came to Oikawa?

His former mentor sat at the edge of the bed in tactical gear; he even had a set of night goggles on his head. He ran a hand through his messy hair, his eyes darting anywhere but at Iwaizumi’s face as he muttered, “We got them. We’ve brought Oikawa home.”

Iwaizumi didn’t think twice as he leapt off the bed, Matsukawa shouting at him to slow down as the Tribute ran down the hallways. Since it was nighttime, it was mostly deserted save for some of the military personnel and medical staff that were working in the infirmary. Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s mother were in there at the moment, both women fussing over a familiar white-haired Tribute who was a mere skeleton of who he was in the past. He didn’t even struggle as they injected him with some medicine, checking his vitals as Iwaizumi ran past to the main observation room where the rest of the Victors were.

Ushijima and Semi stood together, Ushijima rubbing circled into his fiance’s back as he tried to soothe him. The younger Victor looked trouble, his body shaking as Tendou stood apart from the group. Kita and Aran were discussing something in low voices before turning at the new arrival, Kita giving him a nod before giving him a small smile, “Told you we will bring him back.”

“But at what cost? You saw what the shit they did to the poor souls back there! How do we even know if Oikawa is ok?” Semi snapped as he shuddered, “Those tanks. What the hell were those things? How could someone use the dead for something like that?”

“Semi semi, its ok. Its ok,” Tendou whispered as the Victor leaned into his lover’s chest. Tendou seemed to deflate at the Victor’s gesture, his eyes darting to the boy lying inside the observation room. Several doctors were moving about inside, including Sakusa, the body on the steel table still and pale, although Iwaizumi could tell it was breathing and very much alive.

“We can’t let you in just yet. He needs time to adjust,” Kita whispered as Sakusa said something to one of the nurses before giving Oikawa some prods. Iwaizumi pushed past the others to see his lover inside, his heart dropping when he saw how bad Oikawa looked.

Oikawa had lost so much weight, his wavy hair now in clumps. His eyes were red-rimmed as though he was never given the chance to stop crying or sleep. His eyes were sunken inside, their brown colour having lost their vibrance and his bones jutted out of his skin. His long fingers that were able to hold a knife and throw it with deadly accuracy were now bones; Iwaizumi wondered if he could even lift a finger after all the torture he had gone through.

Iwaizumi walked through the door before Aran could stop him, the door slamming open as he stomped inside. Matsukawa didn’t follow him, standing the door as he watched his former Mentees standing before one another. Oikawa slowly moved himself into a sitting position, Sakusa shooting Oikawa a glare not to move as Iwaizumi whispered, “Tooru.” Oikawa’s ears pricked up at the sound of his name, the boy’s mouth slowly opening and closing as he tried to speak.

“I-wa-cha-n,” he croaked as Iwaizumi felt his heart shatter. He took a step forward, the nurses parting to let him stand in front of his friend. The Tribute took a breath as Oikawa shivered, the pale gown on his body doing little to protect him from the cold as Iwaizumi reached out to touch him. He had dreamed so long to touch him, to hold him in his arms but never…

Never did he expected it to turn out like this.

The moment his fingers grazed on Oikawa’s skin, the boy let out a shriek of terror as he clambered back on the table. He let out a guttural howl as Iwaizumi tried to come nearer to calm him down, the Tribute screaming as Sakusa pinned him down.

“Don’t come near me! Don’t touch me! Please, don’t hurt me!” he screamed as Sakusa snapped, “Get him out of here. The patient is distressed.”

“Oikawa. What did they do to you? Hey, Sakusa, what the hell did they do to him!”  
  


“I will explain everything later. Now, I need to get him to calm down or risk him having a heart attack!” Sakusa snapped as Oikawa continued to trash against his grip. Several nurses and even soldiers had joined in, pinning the boy down as he wept, “Please, don’t hurt me. Just kill me! I can’t take it anymore! Please, just kill me!”

Oikawa’s shouts continue to ring across the room as Iwaizumi was tossed outside and the door bolted behind him, Matsukawa reaching out to hold onto him as he patted him on his back. Iwaizumi hadn’t realised how hard he had been breathing the entire time, his mentor whispering into his ear as he tried to get him to breath.

What the hell did they do to Oikawa to make him into something like this?

…

“It's called hijacking,” Sakusa stated as they sat in the conference room, the silence around the table almost too overbearing. Iwaizumi clenched his fists, remembering some tales of that word from previous Hunger Games as the former Gamemaker leaned on his elbows. He looked very stressed out from having try and calm Oikawa down before finally administering medicine into him. Oikawa’s mother had been kept away from her son from the time being in case he freaked out in her presence as well the way he did to Iwaizumi.

“They inject trackerjacker venom into the subject’s body and when the body begins to hallucinate, they plant new memories or distort memories of the person’s past. In this case, they have altered his memories of Iwaizumi into one where he fears touch. I don’t know for sure that he wouldn’t try to attack him but for now, we have to keep him under lock and key for observation purposes.” Sakusa’s deadpan face didn’t help elevate the tension in the room. Even though the mission was a success; they managed to bring Oikawa and Hoshiumi home, with two of the Tributes unaccounted for and Oikawa being in such a state, Iwaizumi didn’t want to think if having Oikawa in such a state was something worse than being dead.

…

After so many months, Oikawa finally saw the boy in his dreams in front of his eyes in the flesh. The way his eyes had widened and the way his tongue had said his name so softly and gently made Oikawa want to hug him tight and sob into him but the moment he came into contact, Oikawa’s body went into shock and couldn’t fight back the memories that had been forcibly planted into him from his torture days.

Distorted memories of Iwaizumi touching him leading to him getting beaten and electrocuted.

A prod reminded him of needles and injections that made him lose his mind and his skin burn from the inside.

Even the sight of water reminded him of the mutts swimming in the tank that he had been dropped into on multiple occasions.

The cold reminded him of days when he had been left in a dark room, all alone and starving without any clothes on.

Now he sat in an empty room, wires snaking across his arms trying to keep his body alive. Several guards remained posted outside of the room, leaving Oikawa to stare at the ceiling and at the one-way mirror where his reflection could be seen. The old Oikawa would have laughed at how bad he looked now; his cheeks were sunken and his eyes hollowed out. His limbs were bony and Oikawa was sure he wouldn’t be able to walk properly for a while.

He recalled Matsukawa calling his name when he found him on the table next to the mutt tank. He had heard some of the rescuers gasping at the sight, one of them even throwing up as someone ordered for the mutts to be put down and the facility destroyed. Oikawa tried to block out the wails of the mutts as they were gunned down, shutting his eyes as he tried not to imagine Suga and Kageyama dying in front of him all over again.

If he had to suffer with not being able to be held by his best friend, Oikawa would rather die than live like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the moment you all have been waiting for the past story and a half; Tooru has returned!!!! However, his mind isn't in the best shape so will he ever be able to get back together with Iwaizumi or will they be doomed to be parted forever?
> 
> And this completes the first half of this story. Next part will be a bit tricky so going to rewatch Mocking Jay Part 2 and watch some Haikyuu episodes plus reading fanfics to get my head into the game fufu. Last spurt guys!!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts on this!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having writer's block again dammit. Shit haven't been able to write anything great in ages and just depending on those random days where I can spurt out several chapters at once and just going cold for the rest of the week or so...
> 
> This chapter is a bit meh in my opinion but hope you guys like it. I'm really trying my best to write on time and just finding it so difficult at the moment. If I leave the chapter for editing, I would never edit it so thought its best to just put it out there and see what happens.
> 
> Enjoy.

The next few days involved Iwaizumi standing in front of the one-way mirror, watching as Oikawa flinched from just about anyone that approached him. The boy would jerk up in the middle of the night, screaming of the horrors the Capitol had inflicted on him during his capture and it didn’t help that Iwaizumi was the main focus of most of them.

“I’m not a doctor or psychologist. I’m a scientist. I don’t tinker with people,” Sakusa scowled as he pulled at his messy curls. The man was also getting more ticked off as he tried to find a way to counteract the hijacking process. Most of the doctors didn’t know what to do either; no one had to deal with a person who had the mind torn to pieces and rebuilt before.

The conference room was quiet as the men around the table sat around it. Atsumu looked torn between giving Sakusa a pat on the back while Kita twirled a pen in his hand, a clipboard on the table as he ran through some documents. Aran was busying himself with checking the monitors with Suna while Moniwa flinched in his seat, wishing he could get back into his lab away from the stares of others. Matsukawa was seated beside Iwaizumi, a hand on the tribute’s shoulder to keep him down as Ushijima and Semi occupied the seats close to Moniwa.

“We can’t sit around and continue treating him. Oikawa has been saved and we need to move on to the next plan of action,” Kita sighed as Matsukawa said, “Kita-san, I don’t mean to be rude, but Oikawa is in a very delicate position. What happens if Iwaizumi were to leave?”

“He’s already in a delicate position that crumbles whenever Iwaizumi is in the picture. I believe he will be just fine secured in the lab.”

“And be treated like madman chained to the table?” Iwaizumi growled as Kita set his pen down, the sound of it echoing across the room as Kita glared at Iwaizumi. His golden eyes flicked at Iwaizumi’s brown ones, irritation already stirring behind the calm façade.

‘You’ve seen what happened when we brought in people to help. Sakusa is just about the only person who can be with him at the moment. We don’t want to bring in any of the Tributes, not even Tendou and Matsukawa in case he might react. We don’t know what memories they have given him on them.”

“Send Mrs Oikawa in,” Tendou said as he peeled himself from the wall, “I think having a familiar face helps, especially if it's family.” At his words, he cast a look of pity at Iwaizumi’s direction, the boy pretending not to notice as Kita pinched his eyebrows.

“Very well. Don’t blame me if she gets hurt.”

An hour later, the men found themselves back in the lab where Mrs Oikawa was now standing, her hand on her mouth as she tried not to sob. The poor woman had been led to believing that her son had been dead all this time and was now lying alive in front of her. When Iwaizumi had broken the news to her, it had taken everything in his power to make sure she didn’t collapse, his own mother holding onto her friend as the woman collapsed to the ground. She had lain sobbing into her hand, thanking the gods for keeping her son alive before Matsukawa had told her she wouldn’t be able to see him soon in case his condition got even worse.

“We can’t overwhelm him with too many faces. The best would be to send in his mother, although I am unsure of what the Capitol had rewired in his brain about her. There is a risk he might attack,” Sakusa had told earlier, the woman nodding her head in understanding as she watched her son stretched out on the bed, trying to curl into a ball to escape from the cold as he twisted in his sleep.

“I’m ready,” she said as the scientist gave her a nod, opening the door to allow her access into the room. Oikawa visibly flinched on his bed, cracking open a swollen eye as his mother stepped in front of him. she gripped onto the hem of her nurse uniform, her hand shaking as Oikawa’s eyes slowly took her in, recognising her. He wasn’t the only one who had changed; after Oikawa had ‘died’, Mrs Oikawa had grown considerably thinner, her face taunt and her brown hair had lost most of its colours, now replaced with white strands. The smile on her face remained the same kind one as the one he had seen since he was a child as her lip wobbled.

“Tooru,” she smiled as she approached him, not caring that Sakusa had warned her not to approach him so quickly. She found herself throwing herself onto her son, the bed bouncing as she sobbed into him. She clutched onto the thin material of his hospital gown, the material already soaking through with tears when she felt her son tugging weakly at her shirt.

“Mum,” he whispered and when she looked up, she could see the look of recognition in his eyes as she circled her arms around him once more, “Its alright Tooru. Mummy’s got you.”

“You’re alive… I thought you died.”

“No. I managed to escape with the others.”

“How? I thought… I thought that the Capitol destroyed 12.” Mrs Oikawa smiled sadly as she held onto her son, the boy shaking against her as she gently kissed his forehead. She swept away his hair from his forehead, missing how she would card her fingers through his curls as a child as she whispered to him, “We’ll make you better. Don’t worry Tooru. Don’t worry.”

“Iwa-chan… what about him?” Mrs Oikawa bit her tongue as she tried to think of what to say, “He’s alright and well here.”

“Washijou. I don’t know what he did to me. I know Iwa-chan isn’t an enemy. But whenever I see him or hear something about him, my body shuts down and just freezes. When he touched me earlier,” Oikawa shuddered as he felt his body shaking. The memory of those hands on his, Iwaizumi’s face close to his own made his whole body shake as his mother gently tried to calm him down, “I don’t know what they did to me. I forgot him for a while. For a long time, I dreamed to meet him and when I finally remembered, they turned my memories of him into… I want to hold Iwa-chan so badly. But I can’t. The Capitol screwed me up. I can’t hold him anymore, mum. What am I going to do? I hurt him so badly. I… I…” Oikawa’s body shook as he let out a cry, his body spasming as his mother called for help. She gripped him onto the table as some doctors and nurses rushed in, holding the boy onto the table as he struggled. His limbs twitched as Iwaizumi gripped onto the sill of the observation room, his knuckles turning white as he watched Oikawa being put under. Slowly but surely, his body calmed down and his eyes closed, his breathing turning even as his mother held onto his hand.

“Panic attacks. That will be something he will have to get used to,” the doctor had said once they walked out of the room. Oikawa’s mother had been given the day to spend with her son, the poor woman trying to keep her sobs in as she kissed her son’s cold hand.

How the hell was he ever going to be the same with Oikawa ever again?

His hand curled into a fist as he slammed a fist onto the mirror, the doctor flinching as Mrs Oikawa looked up at the mirror, knowing full well who was on the other side. The sadness in her eyes told Iwaizumi of how she thought she had regained her son, only to have lost him to the Capitol once more.

…

“I’m glad you all could make it here. After the success of the extraction of the Tributes from the Tribute Tower in the Capitol, we are now able to move on to the next phase,” Kita said, his fingers crossed as he eyed the men seated around the table. The Tributes took up one side of the table, the former Capitol citizens on the other. Iwaizumi was still down below with Mrs Oikawa, watching Oikawa in the lab as Kita brought up a map of Panem. He zoomed in to District 2, tapping on the screen as Semi and Ushijima tensed as their home district came into view.

“District 2 is home to mass weapons, including the Nut, which is a mountain fortress situated in the District. We are to rendezvous with the ground team in District 2 and come up with a plan on how to capture the Nut. Once we have its resources, we will be able to stand against the Capitol. I would like to send in Iwaizumi to the as a token of good faith to the District. I’m sure you know the man in charge of the Resistance in District 2.” Ushijima didn’t say a word as a man appeared on the screen, his face lined with wrinkles. Even though he was related to him by blood, Ushijima hadn’t taken any of his features other than his height, most of his looks having had come from his mother.

Takashi Utsui. Winner of the 50th Hunger games. That had been the most brutal games ever to take place; twice the amount of Tributes had been called into the Arena from each district and the man had risen to the top after a gruelling two weeks of fighting in the Arena. He had even been forced to kill his childhood friend during the Games; the boy would have died anyway considering he didn’t have any medical help and had his leg torn off by mutts.

“We leave for District 2 in an hour. Matsukawa, drag Iwaizumi to the jet if you have to. I’m not going to have him stuck here in District 13 when he can be out there doing something for the Resistance,” Kita said as the meeting was adjourned. Ushijima and Semi stood up as one, the two of them linking hands as they walked out of the room to their quarters.

“Hey, you alright, Waka?” Semi asked as his lover slung his bag over his shoulder. The man had never been close to his father after the nasty divorce between his parents. Semi himself had no idea if his own family was alive in District 2.

“I’m fine,” Ushijima said as Semi ran a hand along his back, making the bigger man shudder before Semi stood up to wrap his arms around his middle. They stayed there until it was time to fly, moving to head to the hangar where Tendou was already waiting.

It was time for the two Victors to go home.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man my daily schedule just involves getting woken up to be bombarded by stuff about contracts and my future and just driving me mad first thing in the morning is an absolute killer to my motivation to do shit arghhh!!! Damn once I get studying, it might actually be a good thing (never thought I would say that doing a dissertation would be much better than having to deal with where you're going to live in the next few months sigh...). On the bright side, I have a ton of Haikyuu merch on the way come September so that would be something to make my mood better.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy (real life just sucks. Rather be in the Hunger Games at this rate...)

Iwaizumi had spent the past few days just sitting in front of the one-way mirror, watching as Oikawa slipped in and out of consciousness. Most of the time, he would often wake up screaming of his nightmares and having to be put under to avoid him harming himself. More than once Oikawa had caused several nosebleeds and nurses being sent out as he trashed on the table, shouting for them to get away. Iwaizumi had to physically stop himself from moving into the room and trying to calm him down, knowing his presence would only make things worse.

Sakusa had tried his best to come up with a way to treat the hijacking, saying that it would be a lengthy process they may not have the time to complete. Through a series of desensitisation methods, he slowly introduced unfamiliar faces to Oikawa to avoid him freaking out, followed by slightly more familiar faces. The Tributes would be the last to be shown to him, followed by Iwaizumi himself, although Sakusa said it would be a long time until that happened.

For now, he could only watch as his best friend struggled to distinguish between reality and nightmares, every moment spent in either realm bringing the boy close to the edge of insanity.

“Hey, Iwaizumi,’ a voice said as a hand clapped itself onto Iwaizumi’s shoulder. Matsukawa bit his lip, trying not to cuss as he saw Oikawa now shifting on the bed, his hands and legs still bound on the sides. His wrists were already rubbed raw and his skinny legs were thin enough that they had to wrap the restraints around them at least three times to secure him.

“We have to go to District 2. Kita’s orders,” Matsukawa said as Iwaizumi shuddered. District 2 was the most hated district among all of them due to their allegiance to the Capitol. The fact that Ushijima had come from there and killed his brothers made him hate him even more.

That didn’t stop the Tribute from picking himself up, pressing a hand against the glass as he promised to come back to Oikawa once more before leaving the premises with Matsukawa. After suiting up and grabbing his gear, they soon found themselves in the jet with the usual group, all of them preparing for the long journey to District 2. Iwaizumi couldn’t bring himself to sleep in the jet, the shaking feeling in his legs never leaving until they touched onto solid ground several hours later, Matsukawa patting him awake as they stepped down the ramp and took in what remained of District 2.

While it hadn’t been bombed as badly as District’s 11 and 12, there was still evidence of a war going on. Most of the houses had been reduced to rubble, although several government buildings remained standing. Soldiers littered across the rubble, bazookas and guns in hand as a man stepped forward to meet them. Iwaizumi recalled him from his younger days as the man who brought District 2 to the level it was today by training people as much as they could before they were thrown into the arena. District 1 and 4 had picked up that strategy soon after, turning their Districts into powerhouses that produced the Tributes most likely to be crowned Victor that year.

“Welcome to District 2,” Utsui grinned just as a bomb exploded above their heads. The men around him didn’t even flinch, one of them letting out a yawn as Iwaizumi flinched at the sound of it. The older Victor let out a chuckle as he led them into the main building, which happened to be the old training centre for potential District 2 tributes.

“Don’t worry about the bombs. We get them for breakfast every day,” Utsui said, calmly leading them through doors and rooms that contained racks of every kind of weapon imaginable. Now, most of them were empty, although most of the close-range weapons like swords and the like still remained due to not being suitable for the fighting going on that preferred the use of the big guns. Iwaizumi had to resist the urge to pluck a dagger from the stack and keep one in his pocket just for good measure, Matsukawa letting out a tutting sound behind him as Tendou rushed over to coo over the weapons. The former stylist was now a regular tag along on their missions, the man practically drooling over the weapons as Semi chided at him to focus on the task ahead of them.

They soon reached a large conference room, a large hologram hanging in the air depicting a map of the District. Several live feeds were on right now, showing the situations in several parts of the District. Several staff members were busy relaying information of the rebels statuses in the field, some of them gripping onto the desk to steady themselves from what was happening on the other side. On the screen, several dots were blinking on the screen, showing several areas that had active landmines in them.

“I apologise for the mess but we’ve just recently managed to secure most of the District. It took us a very long time to have the Resistance up and running here due to the loyalties the people here have had with the Capitol but we’re getting there,” Utsui said as he took his place at the head of the table. Kita was already present on one of the big screens, his fingers clasped in front of him as he leaned forward on the table.

Utsui gave his son a look for a moment, a small smile of relief on his face before turning to the matter at hand, tapping onto the table to bring up the hologram of a large mountain into the air. The 3D figure spun slowly in the air, revealing several entrances around the sides as well as what was housed within it; hundreds upon thousands of bombs.

“Thank you for agreeing to this meeting, Utsui-san. If you will proceed with the meeting.”

“Thank you, President Kita. As I’m sure most of you are aware, District 2 possesses most of Panem’s weapons. Most of it is contained within here; the Nut, a mountain fortress that is basically impenetrable due to it being built under bedrock. Once we get our hands on those weapons, we will be able to march onto the Capitol at full force. The only problem now is that the Nut not only houses Capitol soldiers, but also innocent civilians working within there as staff members. I’m not going to say that Capitol soldiers and Peacekeepers deserve mercy for everything they have done, but I would like to give them a chance to surrender before having to take the alternative option of shooting them straight down.” Utsui’s face was grim as he further explained the layout of the fortress. His fingers tapped to zoom into several angles of the fortress, small tunnel entrances lighting up in blue as he tapped on them.

Aran stepped forward as he nodded to Utsui for approval. The man stepped to the side, allowing Aran to bring up the Nut and zooming in as he tapped on the screen.

“There are two ways we can do this. The Nut is essentially a wolf den. You can either keep them in and lose the chance of getting the weapons, or you can flush them out. We drop bombs at all exit points, cutting off any means of them escaping or using their weapons. If we cannot obtain them, at least we can prevent them from using it.”

“There are innocent people in there, civilians just living out their lives. Are you willing to just give up on them and let them rot inside without having a chance to escape?” Iwaizumi blurted out as everyone swivelled their heads to him. Kita’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly as Utsui hung his head. The old man must have thought of trying to save some of his fellow District members in the past but with the position of the Nut being crucial to the rebellion, there were only so many people he could save.

“We have thought of this. Loyalty runs deep in District 2 for the capitol. It would be very difficult to persuade them to join our side especially at a time like this.”

“Which is why I have the Mockingjay here with you all today.”

“I’m not risking the lives of my men anymore for the chance of your poster boy delivering a speech that could stir the hearts of many. This is a war, not a campaign election.”

“I think you underestimate the power Iwaizumi holds in his hands right now,” Kita smiled, his smile reminding Iwaizumi of a fox ready to pounce on its prey. The older Victor visibly shuddered at him, his knuckles turning white as he gripped onto the table once more.

“May I have a suggestion?” Matsukawa asked as he stepped forward, the Victor tapping on the screen once Utsui stepped to the side. Aran gave him a sidelong look, his eyes darting as Matsukawa tapped on the several exit points, “I suggest we bomb the sides of the mountain to create an avalanche. However, we leave the train tunnel alone for the civilians to escape into the square. There, we will await their surrender and treat them once it is done.”

“And what if they don’t surrender?” Utsui asked as Matsukawa clamped his hand onto Iwaizumi’s shoulder, a slightly feral grin on his face as he smiled, “We have Iwaizumi by our side. Despite his ugly mug, he knows how to deliver a good speech.”

…

The meeting was adjourned with them agreeing to meet outside in half an hour. Semi excused himself to find his parents, whom were now on the District 2 war council as Ushijima was pulled aside by his own father. The man visibly loosened up once he saw his son, reaching to give his son a tight hug. Even though Ushijima wasn’t one for physical contact, he still relished the few moments his father ever gave him any as the older man rubbed his shoulders.

“I was so worried that you didn’t make it. until the propaganda video was sent out, I thought you were dead.”

“I don’t die so easily, father.” The older man chuckled as he patted Ushijima on the back, his eye moving to the ring on his son’s finger as he gave him a smirk, “So, when is the wedding?” Ushijima bristled at it as his father laughed, clapping him on the back as he moved to ruffle his hair.

“My son has grown up so well. To see you with the man that you love brings me so much joy to my old heart.” Ushijima turned to see Semi talking with his parents, the two of them marvelling over him being able to walk once more. The smile on Semi’s face reminded Ushijima of the days when he was stuck in the Arena, his sword clutching to his chest as he wondered of the state of the world around him. At that moment, he made a vow to see that smile in person once more, no matter what it took.

“Just remember to invite me to the wedding, got it?”

“I will father. I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Speaking of being part of the Hunger Games, anyone ever tried doing an online Hunger Games situation? I had a blast just throwing in random names of people I know or just doing a Haikyuu one for kicks (I can't remember who won the Hunger Games for the Haikyuu version but definitely wasn't some of my fav characters gwahhh!!!). Freaking fun to do it family or friend version too; twice I died from such stupid reasons like falling into a puddle of acid (ouch) or eating poison berries when I was second in place to win (I can imagine myself doing that. I am a pretty clueless person haha!).
> 
> Other than the ranting, look forward to the next one!!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sliced my fingers open yesterday whilst chopping up potatoes so won't be able to do any writing unless I want blood and medicine on my keyboard. Luckily I prewrote this chapter so just in time to publish it today.
> 
> On a side note, I finally completed my OsaSuna fanfic today so yay!!! Also managed to write an OsaAka fanfic out of my little kitchen adventure.
> 
> Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Nighttime had fallen in District 2, blanketing the mountain District in darkness. The only points of light in the District were the multiple jets circling the mountain range, pinpoints of light dropping onto the Nut to create avalanches. All the while, hoots and cheers resounded across the building, rebels joining in arms as they watched the Nut slowly getting bombed. Already, the fortress had been attacked by multiple avalanches, Aran confirming that nearly all exits had been blocked and their plan to flush out the people inside was coming into fruition.

Iwaizumi couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in his stomach at how innocents were being sacrificed for the cause.

Sacrifice for the greater good? What did that even mean right now?

“Hey, loosen up. We’re heading down to the tunnels within the hour,” Matsukawa said as he patted him on the back. Iwaizumi had changed into his ‘Mockingjay uniform’, which was a sleek black uniform fitted on his frame. While he didn’t appreciate that the curve of his ass was clearly shown when he put it on, he had to admit that Tendou did a pretty good job in making sure he looked good. He had even given him a good hair makeover for good measure, giving his spiky hair a trim to make it look more civilised.

“I just can’t stop feeling that this is all wrong,” Iwaizumi muttered, chewing his lip as yet another round of cheers filled the air along with clinks of beer being passed around. The other Tributes were nowhere to be seen; Semi and Ushijima being with their families while Sakusa was holed up in the ship to prevent people from trying to get his throat from what he subjected people to during the Hunger Games. Atsumu was prepping his equipment with Tendou while Moniwa was discussing something with Aran in one of the conference rooms with the rest of District 2’s military personnel.

“We can’t all be winners here. Some people have to be sacrificed to the cause.”

“And that means blowing up people? With families?” Matsukawa clicked his tongue as he ran a hand along his weapons, feeling the curve of his gun along his hip. He didn’t like this either but as Kita said; no sacrifices, no victory.

He gently gave Iwaizumi a nudge, urging him to go down with him as Iwaizumi tore his eyes away from the spectacle of the Nut getting blown. As he walked away, the familiar chanting of the people screaming their happiness towards the cause filled his ears, his heart pounding as blood rushed to his ears.

…

“Yahoo! Looking good!” Tendou grinned as the two men approached. The former stylist had his hair stuck up as usual and a wide grin on his face, Atsumu behind him prepping the cameras as the former host gave him a grin, “Ready to roll?”

  
“As if I got a choice.”

“Come on, you look good! Just remember to smile and wave! Kidding! Just try and be yourself. Grumpy is the new black after all,” Tendou grinned as he gave Iwaizumi twin slaps on the face and on the ass. The Victor let out a surprised squeak, Tendou blowing him a kiss as he swung an arm around his neck and led him towards the train tracks.

All around them, rebels surrounding the tracks, guns at ready as they awaited the arrival of the train. The air was brisk, Iwaizumi glad that his body was well insulated by the suit as he held his bow in hand. Atsumu walked behind him, whispering to Matsukawa as Tendou went through the procedure with him, chatting animatedly as they walked.

“OK, so the deal is, walk up and talk about the situation. If the train comes into view, boom, bonus since we get to see the action live! I even got some cue cards from Samu in case you want to use them but I guess you don’t want to right?’ Tendou chirped as he brought out a pack of cards from his pocket that he promptly tossed onto the ground with a grin. Gold and white paper fluttered to the ground, the words barely readable in the darkness as Iwaizumi groaned, “Posterboy eh?”

“A hot poster boy by the looks of it. Just smile and wave. Or do what you do best and act like a gorilla,” Tendou smirked as Atsumu yelled from the back, “Come on! Cameras going to roll soon!” He already had the camera in hand, a visor covering his face as Tendou gave Iwaizumi a wink and skipped back. Matsukawa hung behind the group, his hand ready on his gun as Aran flanked him for good measure. Despite him being Kita’s right-hand man, Iwaizumi felt safer around him than he ever did around Kita.

“You nervous?” Aran asked as he cocked his gun, holding it up as Atsumu began the countdown. Iwaizumi shrugged as he turned to face the camera, Atsumu’s fingers going down as he counted down the seconds.

“3. 2. 1. Action!”

“I am here in District 2 and I have come to…” Iwaizumi started just as the loud honk of a train approaching broke the silence. He snapped his head around to see a black train fast approaching, several rebels shouting for the others to get into position as Aran held his own gun up. Iwaizumi reached for an arrow, wanting to notch into it when Aran shook his head, mouthing that it would be bad if they saw the Mockingjay with a weapon as he sighed, opting to sling his bow onto his back as the train came to a halt.

“Put down your weapons!” a soldier yelled the moment the doors opened, people flooding out of them to be pinned to the ground. The rebels spared no expense in bringing people to their knees, forcing weapons out of their hands and even pointing their guns at them to keep them down as Iwaizumi bit his lip. This was just downright cruel and defeating the point; they came here to surrender so why are they treating them as though they could be executed for their decision?

“Hey stop!” Iwaizumi yelled as a man with turnip looking hair was kicked to the ground, his face colliding with the stones. Blood began to flow from his temple as he struggled against his captor, Iwaizumi rushing forward before Aran could shout at him to get back. He got down to his knees, his hands reaching to his pocket to bring out some bandages to press against the wound.

“Hey, you ok?” Iwaizumi opened his mouth to ask but before he got the words out, he found himself getting knocked to his butt, crashing into the ground as the familiar sting of a cold gun barrel was pressed to his chin. He didn’t even flinch as the sound of multiple guns getting cocked filled the air, Aran shouting for the man to stand back as he yelled, “Don’t shoot!”

“Really? You don’t want them to shoot you when I can just blow your damn head off? Don’t get so cocky because you managed to win the damn games,” the man spat as Iwaizumi let out a feral smile. The man’s anger morphed into fear ever so slightly as Iwaizumi chuckled, “You think I would care if I died here right now? My best friend can't stand the sight of me, I can’t even hold onto him to calm him down. My district has been razed to the ground, I have had so many people die for me in my name and for what? For other people to slaughter each other like animals? I think dying would be a good thing now, don’t you think? If I’m dead, I wouldn’t have to deal with having to kill people to keep myself alive. So…”

The man sucked in a breath as Iwaizumi grabbed the gun with his hand, steadying it against his chin as he rasped out, his eyes never leaving the man’s as he smiled, “shoot me. Unless you’re too chickened out to do so.” The man stared at his hand before cursing, dropping the gun to the ground as he shook. A rebel immediately rushed over to kick him into the ground, training his gun to the man’s temple as someone shouted out his name, “Kindaichi! Don’t you dare hurt him dammit!” A man around his age stood nearby, his hair parted in the middle to reveal glaring eyes.

“Hey, you ok?” Aran asked as he pulled Iwaizumi to his feet. The adrenaline from earlier left him wobbling as he got up, Iwaizumi letting out a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding to let his body deflate. He continued to survey the scene of civilians being pushed to the ground, shouts ringing through the air as they protested against the rebels as he shouted, “Hey! Stop fighting amongst each other and listen!” The cacophony of voices died down as Iwaizumi spoke, turning to face the camera where Tendou and Atsumu looked absolutely thrilled with the footage they were getting.

“We all have one enemy, and that is President Washijou! We’re all just pieces in his games and he doesn’t give two shits in how we kill each other off! Killing our own District members, hurting our own kind, this is exactly what he wants, so stop playing into his hands and stand up for yourselves! Stop killing for him! If you want to blow someone’s brains up, at least aim at the right person and make sure to send him to the depths of hell with your own two hands!”

Iwaizumi looked straight at the camera, his eyes fuming as he spoke. Washijou had hurt Oikawa so much, had basically ripped him away from Iwaizumi’s heart, replacing him with a wreck of a boy who couldn’t differentiate reality and nightmares.

“Tonight, turn your weapons to the Capitol. Tonight, turn your weapons to Washijou!”

Before Iwaizumi could say further, Kindaichi’s friend from earlier raised a gun, a gunshot ringing through the air as Iwaizumi felt something colliding with his chest. He didn’t register what happened other than him falling to the ground and another gunshot filling the air, his head colliding with stone as footsteps rushed towards him.

“Eh? I thought this was bulletproof,” he thought as he blacked out, the shouts of people trying to stay in order filling his ears until he drifted off.

…

Oikawa bucked up from his bed to the feeling of something ripping through his chest. He let out a cry as he awoke, his body sweating as he jerked up. The familiar tug of the restraints pulled him back onto the bed, preventing him from wiping away the tears and sweat as he felt someone shifting next to him. Despite the room not being lit, he could make out his mother sleeping next to him, her head lying on his arm as she shifted. He gently reached out to touch her cheek, the woman too exhausted to register her son’s movement as he laid down on the bed.

Slowly, he turned to look at the few pictures she had brought in to jog his memories, one of them in which was of him and Iwaizumi wearing suits with the cameras shining in their eyes. Oikawa had looked so confident in the picture while Iwaizumi looked ready to pounce on anyone who dared come so close to him. when he looked closer, he could see that their hands were intertwined, sending a familiar warmth up his body as he recalled the warm and gentle touch of Iwaizumi holding him to sleep in the Arena.

He shivered as he thought of where Iwaizumi was right now, wishing he could have him by his side and reminding him of the days that had once brought him happiness.

For the first time since he had been tortured by Washijou, Oikawa didn’t feel the familiar sting or recoil of the sound of Iwaizumi’s name ringing in his mind. He slowly opened his mouth to test the waters, the sound of Iwaizumi’s nickname rolling off it making him want to tear up as he remembered all the times he had called him that.

“Iwa-chan. Come back.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spent more than an hour scurrying around town begging shops to spare cardbox boxes for moving but of all days, it had to be today that they recycle them arghhh!!! Luckily one of them was able to give me one and managed to do all the packing sigh...
> 
> On a side note, I started a Thor OsaAka au fanfic on a whim (bulldozed through writing half of it in a day and totally lost motivation until now, which is what I am worried about. Come on brain, work!!!) so if you wanna check it out, you can check it out here : [Lightning Rod](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25675915/chapters/62336668).

Iwaizumi awoke to the stinging of his ribs and his head pounding. When he opened his eyes, he tried to squeeze them back shut as the light shone harshly into his eyelids. As he brought his hand up to shy away from the light, he saw a drip that was inserted into his hand, yellow liquid dripping into his system. Even with the drug working its way into his system, it wasn’t helping him very much as he sat up, pain wracking through his body when someone clicked their tongue in annoyance.

“About time you woke up. You’ve been deadbeat for the past day. Don’t tell me one stupid bullet shot that didn’t even hit you is enough to wreck you so much. What a freaking pussy you are,” the boy snapped as he unplugged the drip from Iwaizumi’s arm. Well, more like yanked it out before he could even say anything about it when the boy let out a sigh of satisfaction. His white hair was cropped close to his head now, the yellow brightness of his eyes pretty much faded into a darker golden colour. The only thing that was the same as last time was his shortness; he seemed to have shrunk even more than last time, his skin clutching to skinny bones. Even the drip stuck into his arm stuck out in an awkward angle.

“What? You never seen someone else taking drugs before?” Hoshiumi asked as some colour returned to his cheeks.

“No. It's just… I didn’t think that you were.”

“What? Alive? Yeah, I’m freaking alive and kicking while Sachirou is dead. What the hell is up with that? the gods trying to make life freaking hell for me even more?” Hoshiumi growled as he gave the bedside table a good kick. The glass on the table toppled over the side, spilling water onto the ground as Hoshiumi laughed, “First, the Capitol took my family and now they took my mentor and the love of my life. It's some kind of freaking joke for me to be alive. I feel deader than I have ever been, what's left is to take the final step.” Hoshiumi let out a hollow laugh, Iwaizumi not saying a word as Hoshiumi looked up at the lights above his head.

“What? Nothing to say to me? Must seem so pathetic for me to become a stupid suicidal maniac who relies on morphine to even stay sane now,” the Victor laughed as the door slammed open to reveal a flustered looking doctor who looked like he had to deal with Hoshiumi more than he needed to.

“Well hello, Doctor Ennoshita. Come to check if little old me is still alive?” Hoshiumi cackled as the doctor sighed, “Hoshiumi, I told you to not go around stealing other patient’s morphine drips.”

“Yes yes. Well, you better give me back my supply or I might just have to pry the keys off your dead body to get them myself.” The doctor seemed to have resigned himself as Hoshiumi walked out of the room, giving Iwaizumi a look before slamming the door behind him. The sound of his bare feet slapping on the cold ground made Iwaizumis shudder as Dr Ennoshita sat in the chair next to him, checking his vitals before moving to press a stethoscope to his ribs. Iwaizumi made a sharp intake of pain, letting out a curse as Ennoshita chuckled.

“You did take quite a big hit,” he chuckled as he lifted his shirt. Iwaizumi thought that bruises were ugly but this took the cake. The entirety of the right side of his ribs were a nasty purple colour; he thinks he might have broken some ribs as well as his stomach hurting like a bitch. The doctor wrapped bandages around it after putting on some medicine, saying that they would be better in no time just as the door opened to reveal Kita and Aran. The taller man looked the slightest bit guilty for having let Iwaizumi get hurt as Doctor Ennoshita stood up and bowed, excusing himself out of the room to let Kita take a seat next to him.

“Sorry about the suit not being able to prevent the bruising but you will be ok in no time. Thanks to what happened to you, District 2 is now under our control and we will be able to proceed to the next phase of the Rebellion. In three days, we will be advancing to the Capitol.”

“Not wasting any time eh?” Iwaizumi croaked out as Kita sighed, “We don’t have much time until Washijou finds another way to finish us off. We have to strike fast when they are weakest and with their main supply of weapons cut off, we have all but secured our position in this fallout. Which brings me on to the next question.” Kita raised his hand, Aran handing a tablet over to him which the president swiped before coolly handing it over to Iwaizumi.

On the screen was a propaganda video of what transpired the other day at the tunnel.

Iwaizumi was surprised they even managed to zoom in on him speaking to Kindaichi, every word punctuated loud and clear with the expression on Iwaizumi’s face captured. Iwaizumi felt his stomach twist when the gunshot connected with his body followed by a gunshot and a wail, the camera cutting off just as Iwaizumi caught sight of Kindachi sobbing in the ground, clutching onto his friend who now lay dead. Even though the guy had shot him, Iwaizumi didn’t feel that he should have died.

“We managed to create a new propaganda video and broadcast it across the Capitol. You did well back there and now, we have a small reward for you,” Kita beamed, the smile cutting through Iwaizumi as he growled, “It better not be another propaganda session.”

“On the contrary, its to do with your beloved. We’ve managed to calm him down and reverse some of the effects of the hijacking. All that is left is for you to speak to him. Touching still isn’t allowed but you can speak to him in the same room for now.” Iwaizumi’s heart all but sang at being able to speak to Oikawa now, his body moving to sit up as he ripped off the remaining drips off his body.

“Take me to him. Now.”

…

Oikawa slowly brought the cup of water to his lips, taking small sips of it to wash down the medicine he had been given. He hated having to have to rely on the drugs to keep himself mentally stable but for the sake of being able to meet Iwaizumi, he was willing to endure it for as long as he could.

Matsukawa had spoken to him earlier, Oikawa nearly all but throwing himself onto his mentor as the man held onto him. He had explained what had happened between his absence from their lives to what was happening in the Capitol now. Oikawa was stunned at how much things had changed ever since he had been locked up in his cage, the world evolving so quickly he felt sure he wasn’t able to catch up. They were even going to storm the Capitol in a few days, Matsukawa telling him he didn’t have to worry about it and recuperate in safety in District 13.

There was a knock on the door as the grey-haired man who had spoken to Oikawa during the first day of his stay poked his head through. Kita Shinsuke, the leader of this strange underground District. Oikawa couldn’t wrap his finger around the man; he had a good head on his shoulders but he knew as an outsider and as someone who prevented Iwaizumi from taking on the role as the face of the resistance, they would not hesitate to get rid of him if he ever got out of control.

“Iwaizumi is here,” Kita said as Oikawa fidgeted at the sound of his best friend’s name. Kita opened the door wider to allow the boy to step through, Iwaizumi hobbling into the room as he sucked in a breath. Oikawa could feel his body reacting to the conditioning the tracker jacker venom had done to him, his body covered with goosebumps as the door closed behind Iwaizumi. The former tribute stood before him, the boy only looking at him until Oikawa tried to smile. It hurt to form it on his face, having hadn’t made that gesture in so long as he whispered, “Iwa-chan.”

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi whispered as he slowly walked towards him. Oikawa didn’t miss the hobble in his steps as he pulled up a chair and sat two metres away from him, his eyes darting across his face. The boy seemed unsure of what to say, Oikawa himself trying to block out all the memories that the Capitol had planted into him of Iwaizumi as he asked, “You look like shit.”

“No shit Shittykawa. Imagine getting hit by a bullet,” Iwaizumi chuckled, only to wince as he spoke. His hand unconsciously flew to his bruised side, Oikawa reaching out to touch him only to realise he was still chained to the bed.

“Don’t worry. Nothing I can’t handle,” Iwaizumi smiled as Oikawa let out a chuckle, “If I remember quietly, you’re a gorilla who never knew how to take care of himself.” What few memories he had left intact reminded him of how headstrong Iwaizumi was and how he used to protect him all the time.

Now, it was his turn to protect him.

“Iwa-chan, come close for a bit,” he whispered as Iwaizumi slowly got up from his seat, the hesitance in his steps making Oikawa feel sadness bubble in his gut. He reached out the best as he could, his pale hand reaching to touch Iwaizumi’s outstretched one. He slowly slipped his hand into his, releasing a sharp intake of breath as he allowed himself to take in the warmth of Iwaizumi’s hand. Iwaizumi instinctively reached to stroke his hand with his thumb, his finger smoothing out the wrinkles in his hand as he smiled.

“I missed you so much, Tooru,” Iwaizumi whispered as he brought a kiss to Oikawa’s hand. The former Tribute flinched at the contact, his mind screaming of danger and filth as Iwaizumi slowly let his hand drop, “I’m sorry. I know you’re still uncomfortable around me and all. Shit, what am I saying? It sounds like we’re kids all over again.” Oikawa giggled as Iwaizumi blushed at him, thinking of how cute he was as he smiled.

He wanted to hold him so badly. He wanted to feel him against him and just bleed his warmth into him.

One day. One day, surely, he would be able to hold onto him the way he used to years ago.

…

Washijou growled as he sat at the now empty room. Before this, he had a luncheon with the top military officials in Panem and executed one of them for foolishly sending most of their Peacekeepers to be buried in the Nut. Not only were they now running low on footsoldiers, they were also cut off from their main military supply.

“Young people these days are so stupid. To not think through things over, its was such a simple but stupid mistake,” he growled as he brought the glass of water to his lips. He let out a cough as he saw red mixing into the liquid, his hand moving to wipe his mouth as he reached to dial a number into his communicator. The face of Tenma Udai coming up as the man nodded, “President Washijou. What do I owe the pleasure?”

“I trust you have the specimens ready.”

“I do sir. In fact, I accidentally made more than I should have,” Tenma grinned. The scientist never failed to surprise Washijou. He was glad he hadn’t placed him as Gamemaker; his talents would have been wasted killing children when he could be developing weapons. Too bad he didn’t think of that with Sakusa Kiyoomi; the boy had been a rare specimen.

“Good. Get them ready for deployment in the next 24 hours. I want to give our rebels a little welcome gift that will blow their minds.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went a bit crazy yesterday in listening to various anime seiyuu singing Disney songs and dang, some of them are so freaking good! discovered a video of Ennoshita's VA singing "For the first time in forever" and was just squealing so hard!! (my favourite would be Nishinoya and Dabi's VA from BNHA singing Hakuna Matata. So freaking adorable!).
> 
> Singing like crazy and having a BBQ afterwards = not a super good idea haha!
> 
> Enjoy! This chapter is a bit more fluffy than the rest!

Oikawa was surprisingly getting more comfortable around Iwaizumi. As time went on and Iwaizumi was allowed to visit him more after recovering from his injuries, he began to overcome the harsh memories that had been planted into him via hijacking. When he used to flinch from even the sight of Iwaizumi in the past, now he was able to be able to at least let him touch him the slightest. Iwaizumi couldn’t fathom how happy he was about his progress; it felt that ever since shit went down, things were starting to get a little bit better.

Amidst all of that, came an unexpected surprise. With the war going on and people needing a ray of light to shine on them, two unexpected Victors rose up to the challenge and decided there was no better time to tie the knot that Ushijima and Semi, holding a private ceremony in a simple but nicely decorated wedding reception, courtesy of Tendou. The small place was covered with flowers, made to mimic a garden. The guests were limited to most of the Victors and some members of District 13, the two not wanting to have too many people during the ceremony. While their parents couldn’t make it, they promised themselves that they will one day have another one in District 2 and officially register since it wasn’t exactly official down in District 13.

Iwaizumi watched from the crowd as the two grooms stood before one another, bright smiles on their faces as they wore matching white suits. Kita was the one to officiate the wedding as both the spiritual head and president of District 13, reciting the vows as the two men exchanged rings. Oikawa, who had somehow found the courage to attend the ceremony out of respect; even though he still hated Ushijima for his crimes in the past against the Iwaizumi family. The former Tribute held onto his lover's fingers, giving them a gentle squeeze as the two grooms kissed, the crowd going wild as the cameras rolled.

Of course, a happy union wasn’t happening without a reason. Their wedding would be used as propaganda material that the District was alive and well and that even in the darkest of times, happiness could still be found. Iwaizumi felt sick in the gut at thinking of how they could use something so precious and special to use in the war but Ushijima had been fine with it.

As long as he could marry the love of his life, he didn’t matter what the footage was used for.

That night, the party was in full swing as the guests mingled at the wedding reception. Osamu had prepared a feast for the eyes, including a large wedding cake shaped like a swan sitting in the middle of the room. The two grooms had cut it open using a large knife that someone had managed to find somewhere in the base, the guests cheering as Ushijima fed Semi a cake. The former Victor blushed as his husband wiped cream away from his mouth with the swipe of his tongue, some members of the crowd even hooting for them to kiss before they began the dance.

As Iwaizumi sipped on some hard found sake, he saw a certain redhead mingling in the corners of the room, staring at the happy couple spinning on the dance floor. Iwaizumi slowly made his way over to Tendou, watching as the stylist looked on at the two lovebirds. He had never seen Ushijima smile and just seeing that he was even capable of feat blew Iwaizumi’s mind. Semi was laughing as something Ushijima had said, the man moving to whisper into his ear as the archer giggled.

“Beautiful, aren’t they? How could people not be happy about their union?” Tendou whispered as he swirled the sake in his hand. The man had yet to touch his alcohol, barely even ate even as he watched the party going. He had been the couple’s best man during the ceremony, wearing a painfully stretched smile on his face as they exchanged rings. Tendou sighed as he watched them dance, his eyes dull and filled with sadness as he whispered low enough that only Iwaizumi could hear.

“Tell me, is it wrong for me to want to tear apart their happiness because I love them?” Iwaizumi didn’t know what to say about it, still having to sort through his own feelings as Tendou let out a small sniffle, his throat constricting as he wiped away a stray tear. The man wobbled a little as he steadied himself, reining in his emotions before taking a large gulp of sake and smacking his lips, his face turning slightly flushed before he clapped Iwaizumi on the back.

“Don’t you ever tell anyone about what I just told you, got it?” he smiled as he waltzed onto the dance floor, yelling that someone needed to change the music as Atsumu changed the music to a more upbeat tune. The guests began to chant as Tendou discarded his jacket onto the ground, moving to do a breakdance as people catcalled from the crowd. Hoshiumi even joined in as he danced, seeming to have forgotten the horrors and woes in his life for a split second as he let out a laugh. Even Sakusa was being pulled onto the dance floor by an intoxicated Atsumu, who had dragged poor Moniwa over to the DJ set to take over for him before trying to peel off Sakusa’s mask to try and kiss him. The former scientist’s face was a blend of pissed off and embarrassed as he attempted to push Atsumu off him, Suna and Osamu cheering from the sidelines of the buffet table where Osamu had parked himself with his onigiri. Kita merely watched the exchange with a small smile on his face, his arms crossed as he swirled sake in his hand. Aran and Matsukawa were laughing at the group from the corner, both of their faces flushed with alcohol as they called for more shots.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” a voice asked as a body pressed itself against Iwaizumi. The boy didn’t have to turn to see Oikawa next to him, the boy haired boy wearing a simple dress shirt. His jacket had long been discarded somewhere on one of the seats, his face slightly flushed from the alcohol as he ran a hand over Iwaizumi’s chest.

“Iwa-chan, dance with me,” he purred as Iwaizumi sighed. With the alcohol in his system, Oikawa may have forgotten about the conditioning he had been put through but he didn’t want to push him any further in case he remembered it and reacted badly. This wouldn’t be the first time since he couldn’t even hug him until now; the last time he tried resulted in Oikawa nearly breaking down into tears and curling into a ball, apologising for not even being able to hold onto his best friend and lover.

What were they now? Were they still lovers after the Hunger Games stunt they had pulled or are they just back to being best friends?

Iwaizumi didn’t get to think more as Oikawa gently curled his fingers through his fingers, holding them against him as he began to move his body. Soon both of them were swaying to the music, not taking notice of the world around them as they danced together. Iwaizumi found himself letting out a sigh as he recalled of the random moments they would be dancing in the meadow filled with flowers during the spring or in the living room of one of their homes during the winter, their mothers watching as they giggled. Oikawa would have a crown on his head made of flowers sitting on his brown curls, the toothy grin on his face wide enough for Iwaizumi to want to kiss off.

Instead, he contented himself with dancing the night away, wishing that they would soon be prepared for the storm coming their way.

…

After a night of festivities, the group of former Victors were called into the control room to see Kita already seated. Iwaizumi and Oikawa were the first few to have been called, Oikawa flinching about having to be in a room without the help of medication to keep his mind stable. Iwaizumi gently held his hand the entire time, the boy not seeming to mind the contact of his skin as they sat down, waiting as the others trickled in.

As expected, Matsukawa and Aran looked bad from the hangover from drinking too much. Atsumu and Sakusa stumbled in together, both of them looking as happy as they could be with Atsumu having a large goofy grin on his face and Sakusa with a snarling mouth that could kill. They didn’t have to be geniuses to notice the badly done make up job on the hickeys littering their skin; Sakusa kept trying to adjust his collar while Atsumu wiggled his eyes at him.

Moniwa trailed in soon after followed by Ushijima and Semi. The now-married couple held hands as they entered, Hoshiumi looking as though he wanted to kick them apart as he trudged in. The former Victor looked a bit better as compared to before and while Doctor Ennoshita would have preferred him to remain in the medical bay for a few more days, the man was not about to sit down and do nothing, saying he wanted to get out before he went crazy staring at the white walls and Ennoshita’s boring face.

“Thank you for gathering here today, gentlemen. I trust you enjoyed the festivities tonight,” Kita smiled as Aran and Matsukawa let out collective groans. Suna raised an eyebrow at them from his seat near one of the monitors, his other half nowhere to be seen as Kita brought up a map of the Capitol.

“As you can see, the Capitol has been moving its residents closer towards the city centre in fears of them getting hurt in the crossfire. With the citizens out of the way, we now have a chance to enter its borders and show the Districts that it is safe to begin the invasion into the city. Which brings me to the next point.”

“You want us to make a propaganda film in that shit hole? You forgot how the Capitol is mad with their damn boobytraps. Mr Grumpy Facemask here is a testimony to that, aren’t ya?” Hoshiumi growled as Sakusa tried to ignore him.

“Which is why we will be sending in a specialised team into the city. For now, I have a few candidates in mind for the running, with Atsumu being needed to take care of the filming and Moniwa needs to stay behind here to continue hacking the Capitol’s systems.” Kita looked up at Iwaizumi, who hadn’t expected to be excluded from this anyways but he didn’t expect what Kita was about to say next.

“Ushijima and Matsukawa will be providing cover for you whilst you’re in the city. Atsumu will be filming while Sakusa will be in charge of disabling any booby traps set out in the city.”

“If it's Udai that set them up, they’re going to be a pain to disable,” Sakusa grunted as Kita continued, “Tendou will also be going for back up support and Hoshiumi, if you would like to be part of the team, you’re welcomed to.”

“Finally, a chance to kick some asses,” Hoshiumi grinned as he bared his teeth.

“Lastly, Oikawa will be part of the squad as well.”

“What?!” Iwaizumi yelled as he found himself standing up, never letting go of Oikawa’s hand as the boy flinched at his shout. He quickly made a note to apologise to him later, sending him an apologetic look as he snapped, “He can’t survive out there! He hasn’t recovered from his mental trauma from the Capitol and you want to send him back in?!”

“Showing the Districts that Oikawa is alive and by your side will help strengthen their resolve to fight. Nothing will better motivate them than the two star crossed lovers fighting with each other on the battlefield.” Oikawa remained silent the entire time as Iwaizumi squeezed his hand, Kita adjourning the meeting with a quick note of them meeting in the next 12 hours.

In 12 hours, the final battle of Panem will begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent so long debating if I should include UshiSemi's wedding and finally, I thought heck, why not? Let's do it. Hope you guys enjoyed this!
> 
> Also, bless Tendou for having an unrequited crush on the two of them nyehehehehehe.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to try and get cracking with this by updating up to three times a week since I would have to start my postgrad course in a month and I wouldn't have any time to update then. Thinking about days of not writing fanfiction pains me but it has to be done... arghhh!!! I hope I can still have time to read some at least! (plus my mum would be around and I don't exactly want to be writing in front of her, just some issues although I love her to bits).
> 
> Also we've reached 2000ish hits for this story wohoo!!!! Amazing how so many people decided to give this story a shot and stick with it! Means a lot to my aching writer heart!
> 
> Aiming to finish this story by end of the month at 25 chapters so stay tuned! Number might go up or go down, we'll see.

“I’m not letting you go, Oikawa. Absolutely not,” Iwaizumi snapped as he stood in between Oikawa and the door, his arms crossed across his chest as Oikawa laughed, “Iwa-chan, you know this is avoidable.” Oikawa was already dressed in the same tactical gear as Iwaizumi was in and while Iwaizumi would love to just tell Oikawa how good he looked in the outfit, he wasn’t about to let him waltz out when he had just barely recovered his muscle strength and his mental scarring was still a work in progress in healing.

“Oh yes, it is. Stay here and don’t come with us. I’m not about to let you experience the trauma all over again in the battlefield and just break down.” Remembering how Oikawa literally broke down at the smallest and simplest of things in life when he first made his way to District 13 made Iwaizumi more determined to not bring him out at all. There are a million and one ways for the mission to go horribly wrong, even if it is just a routine filming trip to the Capitol.

Filming in the Capitol, why did it sound like a death trap?

The alarm bells in Iwaizumi’s mind didn’t stop going off the moment he stepped out of the meeting room. Choosing the strongest of the team including some of the most trusted members from the Capitol seemed all too random for Kita’s standards. Did the man intend to kill them off during their excursion due to their growing influence on the Districts, far more than what Kita was able to control of did he genuinely trust them?

He didn’t choose Semi under the excuse of no one being able to save him should his mechanical leg brace failed, which angered the archer while Moniwa sealed his lips. They couldn’t afford to lose Moniwa because of his invaluable knowledge in controlling the Capitol’s system and Suna… he knows how their military works. Osamu didn’t pose much of a threat other than being a bargaining chip in case Suna tried to turn on them.

No matter what, they were just pieces in Kita’s and Washijou’s game. They had never been off the train that took them to the Hunger Games. They were still on it, and they will not be getting off any time soon.

“Iwa-chan, I need to do this. If I stay here any longer, I am going to go crazy. While I am afraid of what is out there, if I can be of use to the team that could guarantee your safety, I would. And you know that I would rather die than live without you, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa whispered, a sad smile playing on his lips as Iwaizumi’s hand reached out to cup his friend’s face. Oikawa leaned into his touch, no longer afraid of it as Iwaizumi tried to blink away the tears spreading in his eyes. He hated he was so much of a cryer now over every little thing.

  
  
“I won’t let anything happen to you, got it, Tooru?” he whispered as Oikawa smiled, his hand reaching to hold onto Iwaizumi’s hand as he smiled, “I know.” Slowly, he stepped closer, closing the distance between them as they kissed slowly. Iwaizumi smiled against him, smiling as he remembered the very first time their lips had met in the arena, in the small cave that changed the course of their relationship. His hand reached to cup Oikawa’s face, his hand moving to his waist as Oikawa flinched slightly under him. His hand slipped under Oikawa’s shirt as the boy let out a small gasp, flinching away from him as they broke apart. Oikawa’s face was flushed as he held his sides, trembling as Iwaizumi stammered, “I’m sorry, I forgot that you…”

“Its fine, Iwa-chan. It's just… I want to be held by you so badly,” Oikawa whispered as he gripped the sides of his pants. He willed himself to reach out to his friend and pull him onto the bed, feeling his body until they melted. He missed the corded muscles that inhabited Iwaizumi’s body, of his cool skin under his touch, of the smile of his lips as they pressed against his. He wanted to be one with him; he wished he could just hold onto him for what may be the last time.

Iwaizumi stepped forward, circling Oikawa in his arms as they stayed like that, holding onto each other as Iwaizumi kissed the top of his head, “Take it slow. One day, we can try to do things a bit…” Iwaizumi’s voice caught as Oikawa laughed, realising his best friend’s face was red as a tomato as he giggled, “You knew you were still embarrassed about these things, Iwa-chan?”

“Shut it, Shittykawa,” he growled as Oikawa pecked a kiss on his lips, silencing him for a moment as they continued to hold onto each other.

….

“I don’t like this one bit,” Semi snapped as he paced their shared room. Tendou hung by the door as Ushijima tried to hug his husband, watching as Semi threatened to sneak onto the jet with them as Ushijima ran his hand through his hair, “Eita. We can’t afford to have anyone…”

“Drag the team behind? I get it, I am a liability. I know I am a freaking cripple who can now walk because of some metal and if anything happens to me, the team is doomed.”

“You are not a liability Eita. You are the love of my love. My everything. If anything ever happened to you,” Ushijima whispered as he took Semi’s hand in his, grasping onto his fingers tightly as Tendou felt his grip on his shirt stiffen ever so slightly, “I would rather die myself.”

“Wakatoshi, you moron,” Semi whispered as he furiously reached to wipe the tears from his eyes, now falling as he moved to hug his husband. Ushijima held onto him tightly, the golden band of their wedding rings glistening in the harsh light of the room as Tendou slowly cleared his throat, “I hate to break the moment, but we have to go.” Semi nodded from Ushijima’s chest, still sniffling as he pressed a kiss on Ushijima’s lips before reaching to press his cheeks with his hands.

“Come back to me, Wakatoshi. Got it?”

“I will,” Ushijima smiled as Semi sniffled, turning to face Tendou as he pointed a finger at him, “You’re in charge of taking care of this baffoon, got it?”

“Roger that!” Tendou grinned as he watched the two separate, Semi’s eyes growing cloudy as the door to their room closed shut.

…

“Going to the Capitol to film, what the hell is he thinking this time?” Matsukawa muttered as he stood outside the jet, the effects of the hangover finally leaving him clear-headed. While he would normally hate to be in this sober state since it caused him to remember all about Hanamaki and their time in the Arena. Right now, it served as a good way for him to make sure that he and his team stayed alive. He never thought he would be working with some of the strangest people in liberating Panem, let alone working with Capitol citizens and going into the Capitol for propaganda filming.

“We will be in and out within a day or two. No need to worry. Besides, I have some places in the city we can use as a safehouse,” Atsumu hummed as he finished bringing the filming equipment on board. The former host seemed excited to be going back to his home city, stating that the area they were filming was one he used to go to a lot when he was younger to visit friends. Matsukawa couldn’t even contemplate who would want to befriend the guy considering his attitude but guess he wasn’t the best person to judge character right?

Sakusa was up front in the cockpit with Aran, making sure the jet was up and running and entering their flight coordinates after scrubbing the entire jet with sanitiser and cleaning material. Matsukawa had nearly thrown up when he stepped in, the sheer smell of chemicals making him want to throw up as he thought better of doing so, lest get murdered by Sakusa for letting all of his hard work go down the drain. Hoshiumi was seated inside the jet, juggling a couple of knives in his hands as he hummed a little song under his breath.

“Yahoo!” Tendou called and he and Ushijima walked into the hangar. The former stylist smiled and waved at them, Matsukawa raising a hand in greeting as Tendou piped up about how he had managed to get his hands on a variety of weapons from the weapons storage. Matsukawa was pretty sure he had stolen them from District 2 back when they had gone there, Ushijima not saying a word as he did the final weapons check with his guns. Matsukawa himself had an array of weapons on him, from grenades to even a handy little pill that Kita had called ‘nightlock pill’.

Much like the deadly plant that was found in the forest of District 12, the nightlock pill was basically a suicide pill. You bite into it and watch yourself die within seconds when you rather not face surrender or capture by the Capitol.

Night lock was also the password for using their grenades. Moniwa designed them that they were strong enough to blow up as far as an entire block of buildings, meaning they had very little time to get out of there should the situation call for it. All they had to do was say nightlock three times and boom, hell would rain on their poor victims.

“This is going to be an interesting trip. Bringing Oikawa along, what is he thinking?” Matsukawa muttered as Tendou smirked, “You know how loose of a canon Iwaizumi is. Bringing Oikawa with us basically leads to him having to watch his back in case something triggers Oikawa and puts him in danger. Both an interesting and cruel method; Iwaizumi will be forced to be on watch every time. Speaking of which, there they are.” Tendou waved at a pair of approaching figures, one of them with a bow slung behind his back while another held onto his hand, looking slightly nervous now as he approached the jet. He looked much better than he was prior to his arrival but Matsukawa was still worried he might not be able to handle the physical and emotional stress of the trip.

“Yo,” Matsukawa greeted as Oikawa gave him a small smile, “Hey, Matsun. Long time no see.” Matsukawa settled with giving him a tiny clap on the shoulder, not wanting to startle him any further although he didn’t miss on how much Oikawa was clinging to Iwaizumi. Once upon a time, it would have been cute but now, Matsukawa hoped it wouldn’t be their fatal flaw once they were out there.

“I see you are all here,” Kita smiled as he stood before them. Aran stood behind him, holding onto what was a holo map, the man looking a little fidgety as he slid it into his backpack. Hoshiumi stopped his knife tossing to glare at the man before stashing them away in his pockets, the rest of the men standing a few feet away from him as Kita nodded, “I wish you all the best in your mission. Once this is over, we will be able to storm the Capitol and take back the freedom we have lost.

May the odds be ever in your favour.”

If that saying had been meant as a mockery for Tributes in the past, now it served as a reminder that once they were out in the field, the chances of them dying has returned.

"Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games," Tendou smirked into Iwaizumi's ear as the boy shuddered, slowly moving to walk up the ramp with Oikawa's hand clutched tightly in his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the 76th annual Hunger Games begin fufufu.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to be out the whole day tomorrow so going to be posting this chapter a day earlier.
> 
> If there is one thing I hate more than bugs, its the freaking heat arghhh!!! I want winter to come back dammit!!! Almost forgot just how bad summer heat could get argh! Melting like a puddle now without a fan or air conditioning!
> 
> Also, in conjunction with UshiSaku Week, I posted a fic based off Toilet Bound Hanako-kun with Sakusa as Hanako. You can check it out here :[Toilet bound Sakusa-san](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25862455) (yup, super original name bwahahahaha!)

Going back to an empty Capitol was something Iwaizumi never thought he would see. Sakusa had parked the jet on the outskirts of the city close to the train tracks, the team making their way inside through what remained of the city. The Capitol hadn’t been spared from bombs and attacks, some of the rebels already having got to work in spreading chaos around the city under the orders of their respective commanders. A few days prior, District 2, led by Utsui had launched some attacks on the city followed by Districts 11 and 10. Even 1 had joined in the rally after much convincing, something Iwaizumi thought would never happen due to its nature of being a Carer District.

During their flight, Aran had gone through the map of the city using the Holo, pointing out various traps and pods that were littered across the city. Sakusa had explained how pods worked and what they could be, hosting things from burning lava to mutts. The Gamemaker told the crew that Iwaizumi would be the only one to disable them due to most of them being triggered when someone goes close to them, arrows being just about the most effective way to disable them.

“We’re home,” Atsumu whistled as they made their way into the main street. The streets were pretty much deserted with most of its inhabitants having been evacuated deeper into the city centre. Several windows remained open, some of them smashed while others had stray curtains fluttering from inside. Cars remained abandoned from where their owners had either been forcefully dragged out or fled in terror, suitcases filled with colourful clothes opened in the streets. Even some remnants of shoes remained behind, evidence of how impractical those shoes are in the situation.

Aran raised a hand to stop the group, the group coming to a halt as Aran turned on the Holo. He scanned the map, bright orange dots indicating the location of pods in the area as he gave them the signal to move forward. Judging from the map they had, pods were located at nearly every block in the city, sometimes even having two in the same area. There was no telling if all of them were active or what they held; one thing the Victors knew for sure was that one slip up will cost them their lives.

Atsumu held the camera steady in his hands, scanning the area as he tried to find the correct angle to begin shooting with Tendou backing him up with more filming equipment. Sakusa hung in front with Aran, checking to see if the man had missed out any pods while Ushijima and Iwaizumi stood at the back, watching their backs with Hoshiumi standing guard with Oikawa. Oikawa had been very quiet ever since they stepped down from the plane, the boy moving to twiddle with his thumbs as the sound of bombs and guns going off made him flinch ever so often. Hoshiumi didn’t make any snarky comments as Matsukawa held onto the boy’s hand, making sure he didn’t keel over or freak out as Aran held up a hand, signalling the group to stop.

“Pod 25 metres ahead,” Aran announced as the group fanned out, Atsumu moving into a better position to shoot while Tendou held onto the camera. Iwaizumi stepped forward, etching an arrow into the bow as Aran pointed out where the pod was, his finger lingering in between two blocks as he whispered, “Right there.”

“Ready when you are,” Atsumu called with a thumbs up, Iwaizumi taking in a deep breath as he let the arrow fly, the arrow sailing through the air before being engulfed in a surge of flames. The flames roared through the air as they spread across the space, missing the group by around 25 metres as they continued to roar. Atsumu held the camera steady in his hand, Tendou doing the same as they filmed the moment, Hoshiumi trying not to comment about how insane the firepower was until it finally died down a good five minutes afterwards. Aran lifted the Holo to check and see if there was anything left, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly when Sakusa gave the clear to move on when Iwaizumi turned to see Oikawa hunched on the ground, trembling as he held his hands against himself.

“It burns. It burns. It burns,” he whispered as he tried to scratch the feeling off himself. Matsukawa reached out to his former charge, trying to calm him down as he whispered to him that he was alright as Iwaizumi made his way over. Iwaizumi quickly sheathed his bow and ran towards his friend, reaching to gently take a hold of his arms before running his fingers along the thickness of his sleeves.

“Hey, you’re safe. Tooru, you’re safe,” he whispered as Oikawa nodded slightly, his shaking reducing as Aran called for them to move forward. Iwaizumi gave Oikawa a gentle squeeze before handing him back to Matsukawa and Hoshiumi, Ushijima watching them with concern from afar. The Victor didn’t dare go near him in case he triggered some memory of the past, knowing how Oikawa viewed him after what he had done in the Games. Seeing the prideful man reduced to shambles made Ushijima’s heart ache ever so slightly.

The day continued with them making about five blocks into the city without getting disintegrated. While Iwaizumi was busy setting off pods, Atsumu and Tendou dutifully filmed every bit of the action while Sakusa and Aran searched for pods to be disabled.

The group finally stumbled into an abandoned café, the doors and windows smashed in as they stepped into the shade. Hoshiumi immediately took to the long sofa lining the wall, sighing as he felt his butt connect with soft leather while Oikawa clung onto Iwaizumi, Aran letting the group settle in and rest for a bit before assigning them their individual watch times. Night time would be just as dangerous as day time since they didn’t know when the Peacekeepers would come and get them. Sakusa wasn’t sure if some of the pods could only be triggered at night either so he advised them to remain in their spot just to be safe.

At midnight, Iwaizumi found himself sitting against one of the few remaining pillars holding up the café, his bow in his arms as he cradled it against his chest. Some of the team were scattered around the room, Hoshiumi sleeping fitfully as he murmured the name of his partner in his sleep. Aran was propped against the wall with the Halo tucked in his arms like a pillow, some drool escaping from his lips. Atsumu and Sakusa were nowhere to be seen, Iwaizumi electing to imagine they were patrolling the area or might have found a private room to themselves. Tendou was sharpening his knives in the corner, humming a low tune under his breath as Ushijima kept watch with him.

“Cannot sleep?” Iwaizumi whispered as Oikawa shuffled in his spot. The boy had tried to fall asleep in the corner on one of the spare sofas, although being in the city and the impending doom looming above their heads prevented him from sleeping. Iwaizumi was still unable to hold onto him in case something triggered Oikawa to break down from the hijacking torture he had been put through, the most he could do for the time being is holding onto his hand. He stretched out his hand as Oikawa padded towards him, shuddering as he plopped beside Iwaizumi and hesitantly snuggled against him. feeling his warmth made Iwaizumi feel better ever so slightly.

“Iwa-chan, are you real?” Oikawa whispered as Iwaizumi reached out to card through his hair. His heart broke as Oikawa sniffled, his grip on his uniform tightening as he shuddered, “After being hijacked, I can no longer tell what is real or what isn’t. Everything seems like it could be fake or real. So many times I thought I held onto the real you but it was actually just my imagination.” Iwaizumi slowly guided Oikawa’s head to his chest, turning his head to rest his ear against his heart. Oikawa sucked in a gasp as he let himself hear his best friend’s heart beating through his chest, hearing the same strong heartbeat that he used to hear when they slept together in the cave during the Games.

Badump. Badump. Badump.

“Is my heart real enough for you?” Iwaizumi whispered as Oikawa shivered, nodding slowly as Iwaizumi gently reached for his chin. Oikawa shuddered as Iwaizumi’s hand fell away, his eyes downcast as Oikawa slowly peeled himself away from Iwaizumi, muttering sorry about not being able to be kissed just yet before moving back to his spot on the wall. As the former Tribute curled into a ball and tried to fall asleep, he reached out for his lover with his voice, trying to make sure everything he was feeling was real as he whispered.

“You love me. Real or not real?” Not even a moment’s hesitation later did Iwaizumi reply, his voice sure as Oikawa felt himself sob, “Real.”

“I used to ask you to make me your bride when we grow up.”

“Real.”

“I called you a handsome stud.”

“Fake. You always called me a gorilla.”

“Mean!” Oikawa laughed softly as he clutched his chest, the two of them exchanging questions until Oikawa finally fell asleep, drifting off into a realm of dreams. He didn’t flinch as Iwaizumi slipped next to him, bringing him close in his arms as the two of them slept on, oblivious of the world around them as their comrades kept watch.

“You sure that guy wouldn’t be the death of us? He got triggered by fire, what else do you think wouldn’t scare the shit out of him? I know one thing’s for sure is that he’s freaking scared of the water,” Hoshiumi hissed as he and Matsukawa stood guard. The rest of the crew were dead to the world catching up on whatever rest they could get before the next day.

Hoshiumi was used to waking up earlier or staying awake the whole night. Nightmares of his family being executed before his eyes kept him away and now without Sachiro to help him, it took more than just willpower to get him to sleep. Pills had been the main way he had been coping now along with medication, something he couldn’t get in the field so the only way he could burn off extra steam was to watch his comrades backs.

He flicked his knife to let it embed into the wall, the low thunking sound bringing peace to his heart as the moon hung high above their heads. The cold didn’t bother him as he ran his fingers through what remained of his hair, thinking of the nights he would stare out at the sky with his family eating the rare watermelon during summer.

“Oikawa isn’t one to let down his friends. Even though he may be like this now, he’s a strong kid.”

“Are you sure you’re not being biased with him as his mentor?” Hoshiumi interjected as Matsukawa chuckled, clutching his trident against his chest as he watched his two charges sleep on. Sometimes he wondered if it was best if both of them had just died in the Arena and didn’t have to be dragged into a bigger and messier Games than ever before.

“No, because I believe in them.” Hoshiumi merely snorted as he resumed throwing knives, Matsukawa letting out a sigh as he gripped his trident harder.

_“Hey, Makki. Watch over me for a little longer, will you? I can’t let these two idiots join you in heaven after all the shit they’ve been through.”_


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I can't believe this story has crossed 20 chapters! Thanks for sticking around with this story until now; five more chapters and this trilogy can finally come to a close.

“This seems like a good spot!’ Atsumu called as the group trooped down the empty roads. The sun had peaked over the top of the buildings several hours before, signalling the beginning of a brand new day and with it, the return of their chances of running into pods.

After a quick meal of some onigiri (Iwaizumi thanked the gods for whoever came up with onigiri since he wouldn’t have survived without rice), they were soon making their way deeper into the city. They were still within the outmost areas of the Capitol, nitpicking past traps until they finally came to what appeared to be a ring of apartment complexes. The apartments were built in a circle with two long entrances cut in between them. A large fountain, now cracked and drained sat in the centre of the grounds with an archway and a gazebo made out of marble seated in the centre of it. Several propaganda posters were pasted on the walls of the gazebo, angry red and yellow bearing the symbol of Panem burned onto them.

“All cleared for pods?” Matsukawa asked as Aran and Sakusa checked the Holo. Aran scanned the device before letting the group advance, the team slowly making their way forward as Atsumu whispered to Tendou about how they were going to shoot the scene. Aran held the Holo in his hands, his eyes scanning the map when his eyes widened as he saw Atsumu stepped forward, a stone underneath him shifting ever so slightly as he let out a yell, the Holo clattering to the ground as he shouted, “Atsumu! Stop!” He slammed into the former Host just as the ground exploded underneath their feet, the group diving for cover behind the wall as a loud wail escaped from Oikawa’s lips. The boy was hunched on the ground, Matsukawa trying to get him to move as he curled into a ball, rocking on the balls of his feet as he gripped his head in his hands.

“Oikawa!” Iwaizumi yelled just as a shout came from where Atsumu was, the former host shouting for medics to come as he scrambled over to Aran. Iwaizumi tore his gaze from his friend, Matsukawa shouting at him to take care of Aran as Sakusa and Ushijima sprinted forward. Sakusa quickly threw his arms around Atsumu, examining the man for any injuries as he sobbed into Sakusa, Ushijima turning to check on Aran to see that the man had lost both of his legs and was bleeding out fast.

“He won’t last. He’s in shock and we don’t have the supplies to save him,” Ushijima rumbled as Aran coughed, his hands shaking as he tried to speak. He reached out to point at where the Holo had fallen, the device surprisingly intact as he rasped, blood spilling from his lips, “Iwaizumi. Holo. Here.” Iwaizumi quickly snatched the Holo from the ground and handed it over to Aran, the man barely able to grip the device in his hands as he spoke loud and clear.

“Ojiro. Aran. Transferring command of Holo to. Speak your name,” he grunted as Iwaizumi quickly said his full name. Aran dropped the Holo into his hands, his strength slowly leaving him as Ushijima supported his back, holding it tight as the soldier slowly bled out.

“You are in charge of the team now. Guide them well, Iwaizumi,” Aran whispered as he coughed, blood dribbling down his chin as Iwaizumi shook his head, “I don’t have what it takes to lead them.”

“You’re the Mockingjay. If there is anyone who can lead us and win this war, it’s you,” he rasped as he gripped Iwaizumi’s hand tightly. His grip slowly slacked as a sigh escaped his lips, his eyes rolling back as his body slackened in the two Tributes grasp. Ushijima slowly lowered Aran to the ground, closing his eyes as Iwaizumi gently laid his hand next to him.

“I killed him. I killed him…” Atsumu whispered as he shook against Sakusa, the man trying to calm him down as he ran his fingers through the blonde’s hair.

“Its ok, Tsumu. You’re alive. You’re alive,” Sakusa whispered as the man hiccuped against him. Matsukawa and Oikawa slowly approached them, Oikawa not daring to look at the body of their captain that had been alive just minutes ago as Iwaizumi slowly laid Aran’s hand on his chest.

“We need to move him,” Iwaizumi whispered as Ushijima shook his head, “We can’t afford it. Time is running out. We have to keep moving. Who knows what pods are there.”

“It’s my fault. If I hadn’t stepped on the panel,” Atsumu stuttered as Hoshiumi yelled, “Stop being such a princess and just man up! He’s dead, nothing you can do about it! You think Aran would want us to stand around breaking into wails and whining like pussies because of a mistake?!” Atsumu sniffled as Sakusa held him against him, stroking his hair as Hoshiumi spat, “You Capitol bastards don’t deserve mercy. If anyone should have been blown up, it should have been you lot.” Hoshiumi shoved past them, no one moving to stop the tiny man from moving. Iwaizumi slowly turned on the Holo, the map coming to life just as he realised where they were standing.

“Hoshiumi, stop!” he yelled as Hoshiumi stepped onto a panel, the ground shifting underneath them as an almighty roar filled the space. Hoshiumi remained rooted in his place, slowly turning his head to see the entrances to the complexes closing shut around them, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down his throat as he cursed, “Son of a bitch.”

The group barely had time to split as black oil oozed from the broken fountain, rushing towards them in a wave as Matsukawa shouted at the team to move. Sakusa grabbed Atsumu and hoisted his legs under his arms, piggybacking him before the host could protest as they ran up. Tendou rushed forward with Ushijima, Iwaizumi moving to grab onto Aran’s body when he heard Matsukawa shouting Oikawa’s name.

“Oikawa! You have to move!”

“I can’t. I can’t. Even if I run away, it will come and get me,” the boy whispered as he shook at the sight of it. The black liquid was now approaching them even closer, close to lapping against their shoes as Oikawa let out a wail, “Matsun! Matsun! Please! Help! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to…” Matsukawa barely had time to hoist a squirming Oikawa onto his back as Hoshiumi reached out to pull them out of harms way. The tiny Victor yanked them forward, using his momentum to push them up the stairs by a few paces before being sucked into the black liquid, a wicked smile on his lips as Iwaizumi yelled. He saw Hoshiumi showing the middle finger to the sky as though he could show Washijou that he had screwed up so bad to kill them, his smile never fading even as he was enveloped in black ink.

Iwaizumi quickly turned to continue running back up the stairs, Ushijima holding open the door for them to run through as they entered the apartment complex. They didn’t have time to take in the Greek columns that supported the building, glass shattering as the black liquid followed them inside. The men had no choice but to continue climbing up and up, working up broken stairs and avoiding getting sucked up as Tendou shouted from a few floors up.

“It’s a dead-end! Stairs have caved in!” he shouted as the group came to a halt where he stood. Atsumu was still being hoisted by Sakusa, the latter scowling at the dark liquid that was slowly creeping up at them.

“Oil spill. A little trick that Udai wanted to add into the Games but Washijou thought it would kill the Tributes off too quickly. Get sucked in and you get burned to a crisp, turning into a living statue much like what happened to the citizens of Pompei.”

  
“Seriously, now isn’t the time to give a commentary!” Matsukawa yelled as Oikawa shook in his arms, Ushijima and Iwaizumi brandishing their weapons in a sad attempt to ward off their impending doom. The liquid bubbled close to their feet, teasing at the toe of Iwaizumi’s boot until it finally decided to stop, the black liquid slowly draining away until not a single drop was left. The only thing that remained of its presence was the black stains that coated the stairs, Ushijima reaching out to test and see if it was ok before confirming to them that it was safe.

Atsumu seemed to have calmed down after Sakusa gave him a peck on the lips, whispering that everything will be alright before Atsumu managed to get back to his feet. He held his camera equipment shakily in his hands, Tendou quickly swiping them from his hands before he dropped them as Iwaizumi turned to Oikawa. The boy had stopped shaking slightly, although the fear in his eyes was evident.

“Hey, Tooru. Hey, look at me,” Iwaizumi whispered as he reached out to take Oikawa’s hand. Oikawa let out a scream as Iwaizumi flinched, Oikawa curling against Matsukawa as he sobbed into his former mentor’s chest.

“Looks like he still has some trauma from the hijacking. I believe one of the methods used was drowning so whenever he sees a large volume of liquid…” Matsukawa muttered as Oikawa whispered, “I’m sorry, Iwa-chan. I’m so sorry.” Iwaizumi retracted his hand, his heart aching at how Oikawa had flinched away from him but he didn’t have time to deal with that now as Ushijima quickly took charge, instructing the group to head down before planting some bombs.

The group barely made it out of the complex before a truck carrying Peacekeepers surged in, the soldiers surrounding the area just as the bomb went off and rained rubble all over their heads. As chaos issued below, the group quickly made their way into one of the flats nearby, scrambling inside before pulling the blinds shut and collapsing on whichever surface they could. Iwaizumi gently let Oikawa sit down as the boy tried to calm down, slowly doing the breathing exercises Ennoshita had taught him for these kinds of situations as Tendou peeked from the blinds.

"Looks like we have to stay here for now."

  
"I think its best we avoid the streets at this point. Too many pods and Peacekeepers about," Ushijima murmured as he gestured for Iwaizumi to pass the Holo to him. He switched it on, his eyes scanning the map as Sakusa watched from nearby, Atsumu finally calming down beside him as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Whilst they were busy eating whatever they could find in the flat, a special announcement played on the TV. Iwaizumi watched in amusement as their faces flashed across the screen the very same way as it did in the Games, announcing them as dead as Tendou mumbled, "Hoshiumi would be laughing at how stupid this announcement is now." As he spoke, the face of the fallen Victor from District 4 flashed on the screen, all of them hanging their heads in respect as Aran's face flashed across the screen as well.

Just two days and two of their members were dead.

"Get some rest. We'll move underground in a few hours," Ushijima ordered as the group settled in to sleep, not knowing if they would even be alive in the next few hours. 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost forgot to update damn...

Who knew the Capitol sewage system smelled like literal shit unlike how perfect upside looked?

Sakusa wrinkled his nose as they climbed down the stairs, the sound of water sloshing against his feet, making the former Gamemaker grimace. His pulled his mask further up his face to prevent himself from puking, Atsumu holding onto him for support as they lowered themselves below. Ushijima had been the first one to drop down, calling that it was safe as they dropped in one by one. Tendou stood guard at the back of the group, trading his knives for a rifle as he watched their backs before dropping down into the water unceremoniously, letting out a cackle as he saw how disgusted the group was.

“Come on, it's just a bit of water mixed with shit,” Tendou mused as Sakusa snarled, wiping the muck off his face, “If you dare annoy me one more time Tendou, you’re gonna be dead, I swear.”

“Sure sure. We have had enough deaths for today to add to the body count, don’t you think?” the stylist smirked as Atsumu whispered for Sakusa to calm down, Ushijima ordering for the group to move forward as Iwaizumi held up the Holo. Like they had said earlier, there weren’t any pods down below, although that didn’t mean the Capitol would have been foolish enough to leave the tunnels unguarded.

The group continued their wading through the muck for a good few hours, making it close through midway of the city before finally stopping for a break. Ushijima and Iwaizumi went through the Holo trying to decide on where they should go, Sakusa consulting them on the nearest exit point that could lead them to a safe part of the city as the group tried to rest. Atsumu wasn’t complaining much about how filthy the place was, promptly falling asleep as soon as he sat down on the levelled area of the tunnel and even began to snore. After deciding on who would take the first watch, the group spread out to get some rest, Iwaizumi electing to stay awake since he was too high strung on nerves to even fall asleep.

The minutes ticked by as Iwaizumi glanced at the ceiling, the sound of water dripping into the water below soothing his nerves as he yawned. The smell of waste had long gone past him; he ran a hand through his gunk soaked hair before turning to see Oikawa, who was awake and staring intently at him. The boy was curled into a ball, his feet curled away from the water as he whispered, “Washijou shocked me with water so many times. I can’t even stand the sight of it now. just thinking of touching it makes my body shut down.”

Matsukawa had to haul Oikawa throughout their trek, switching between Ushijima and Tendou since the former Tribute couldn’t bear to touch the water without so much as wailing. He did try to walk on his own, only to flinch when his feet became wet, reducing into a ball of sobbing until he was finally carried once more.

“Hey, we will get through this, alright?”

  
“Being so optimistic, Iwa-chan? We lost two of our comrades today. Who knows who the next ones could be?” Oikawa whispered as Iwaizumi slowly moved from his position from across Oikawa. He reached out to thread his fingers through Oikawa’s, giving them a light squeeze before reaching to cup his cheek. His breath ghosted Oikawa’s cheek as the boy shuddered, ignoring the stench coating his body as he whispered, “When have I ever lied to you, Tooru?” Oikawa nodded as Iwaizumi gave him a peck on the cheek, his mouth ghosting towards his own as he leaned forward. Oikawa didn’t flinch back as they kissed lightly, Iwaizumi’s lips soft against his as his fingers curled through his hair. Oikawa sighed against him as they kissed harder, his hands moving to wrap around Iwaizumi’s waist when a low growl sounded from down the tunnel, the two of them breaking apart as Oikawa turned to stare in horror.

“Mutts,” he whispered as Iwaizumi yanked out an arrow from his quiver, pointing it straight down as he elbowed Matsukawa who had been sleeping next to him in the ribs. The former Victor yawned as Iwaizumi hissed at him to wake up the others, his eyes slowly becoming more focused as the sound of growling and hissing grew closer and closer.

“Hey, guys. Wake up. We gotta go,” Matsukawa hissed as one by one, the group quickly roused from their slumber. Even Atsumu was quickly to wake up, snatching up his bag of equipment even though it was quite pointless to be shooting anything at that point in time. Ushijima whispered to the group to move forward, his sword at ready as Tendou twirled his knives in hand. Iwaizumi quickly scanned through the Holo, quickly trying to find an escape route as Sakusa reached for the Holo, snapping at him to hand it over as he whispered, “Wakatoshi, go forward. If we continue south, we should reach where I think we are at.”

Ushijima nodded as he quickly reorganised the group, Sakusa and Atsumu in the lead with Tendou and Ushijima in the rear. Matsukawa turned to carry Oikawa on his back, groaning at how heavy the boy was as Iwaizumi hung back, arrow at ready as they finally began to move forward. Luckily for them, as they walked, the water seemed to recede ever so slightly, allowing them to move faster although that did increase the sound of their splashing.

They had managed to get to a larger tunnel when the first of the mutts struck, sending Atsumu toppling to the ground as it snapped its jaws at him. the former host screamed as he tried to pull it off, Sakusa quickly reaching to yank a knife out of his belt and sinking it into the mutts head, black blood spraying over Atsumu as the mutt sank dead on top of him. The creature was a pale white without any eyes, its skin slimy with claws that were sharp enough to slice through bone. Its teeth were razor-sharp, Atsumu surviving at all considering on how it had jumped on him out of nowhere being pretty much a miracle.

“Come on, move move!” Ushijima yelled as mutts began to stream into the tunnels, the group scrambling to run for it as they were pursued. Sakusa yanked Atsumu up and dragged him along with him, half of the time trying to shoot mutts coming their way as the host recovered from his shock. Matsukawa was having a very hard time trying to fend off the mutts with Oikawa on his back, although he still managed to kill a few with his trident as Ushijima and Tendou made quick work of the mutts with their weapons. Ushijima’s sword cut through flesh, sending body parts flying as he twirled. Tendou laughed like a maniac as he sliced through flesh, his knives carving out white flesh as he giggled.

“I see an exit!” Sakusa yelled as they finally reached a bigger space. Leading up a shaft was a ladder, Sakusa shouting for the group to head up as more mutts streamed in. Sakusa shot at the mutts as Atsumu scrambled to the top, Matsukawa barrelling in with Oikawa just as a mutt jumped on them, sending the two men into the murky water as Oikawa let out a scream.

“Oikawa!” Iwaizumi yelled as he shot at a mutt heading towards his best friend. The arrow went straight through the centre of its head, the mutt toppling dead on the ground as another slammed into Iwaizumi from behind, sending him face-first into the water. Iwaizumi gagged as he gulped in some sewage, his stomach churning as the mutt held him under, refusing to yield even as he kicked and screamed. The claws dug into his shoulders as blood began to seep into the water, Iwaizumi reaching to try and slam his bow into the mutts head when the pressure lifted off his body. A hand reached out to yank him out of the water, a bewildered and shaking Oikawa holding a bloody knife in his hand as he screamed, “Don’t go dying on me yet, Iwa-chan!” His hands were shaking badly as the knife clattered into the water, his teeth chattering as he tried to get away from the water when Ushijima shouted for the group to go.

“Oikawa! Get over here!” Matsukawa yelled as he yanked Oikawa by the arm and hoisted him up the ladder, forcing him to move as Iwaizumi yelled after him, “I’ll catch up! Go!” Oikawa quickly climbed up, followed by Matsukawa as Iwaizumi followed suit when he heard a cry coming from nearby. Ushijima was in the water, gripping on his dominant arm that now hung useless by his side. Blood ran down in rivets from his torn sleeves, claw marks sinking deep inside his flesh as he groaned.

“Iwaizumi! Get Wakatoshi out of here!” Tendou yelled as the man threw several knives as the mutts, all of them sinking into their targets as Ushijima shouted, “I am not leaving you! I’ve lost too many of our team!”

“Well, we can’t all survive this, can’t we? Stop being a gentleman and get your ass out of here!” Tendou yelled as Ushijima gripped his arm, “I’m not leaving you, Satori!” Tendou whirled around, his hand reaching to cup Ushijima’s face as he leaned in for a kiss, kissing him quickly before pushing him back, Iwaizumi finally managing to catch him as Tendou shouted, “Activate the Holo! Make sure you blow these bastards to hell!”

“Tendou-san!”

“Go!” Tendou yelled as picked up Ushijima’s fallen sword, a mad smile playing on his lips as Iwaizumi dragged a flaying Ushijima up the ladder. Matsukawa had to grab him and drag him up, Ushijima shouting for Tendou’s name as Tendou grinned, holding up Ushijima’s sword in his hand as he yelled, “I’m waiting, Iwaizumi!”

Iwaizumi’s hand shook as he watched his stylist fight the mutts below him, slowly getting overwhelmed despite how many he managed to bring down. Despite that, a smile remained on Tendou’s face as claws ripping into his skin, his arms slowly being ripped to shreds as he sang a song loud and clear as Iwaizumi whispered nightlock three times under his breath.

“Baki baki ni ore, nani wo? Kokoro wo da yo. Konohana ni kudake, nani wo? Seishin wo da yo!”

_What is it that breaks with a crickety-crack? Your heart of course!_

“Nightlock. Nightlock. Nightlock.” Iwaizumi felt his heart breaking into small pieces as he tossed the Holo into the pit, the Holo exploding mere seconds upon hitting the water as the Tribute quickly clambered his way up. A pair of hands yanked him up, one of them belonging to Matsukawa and another Oikawa as Sakusa and Atsumu supported Ushijima. The man’s face was pale from blood loss, his body shaking as Sakusa shouted at the group to move forward.

“I know where we are now! Let’s move!” he yelled as gunfire began to pelt the group. Iwaizumi yanked out an arrow and let it fly, causing an explosion near a flight of stairs as they ran down what appeared to be a train station. Several beams of light shot down from the ceiling, disintegrating whatever stood below it as the group scattered, running from Peacekeepers while trying to avoid getting disintegrated by those lights. Iwaizumi kept shooting arrows at the Peacekeepers, explosions and screams filling the air until they finally breached into open air. Iwaizumi took in a breath of fresh air as they raced down the street, catching glimpses of wanted posters on display around the city when he saw Tendou’s face appearing on one of them.

How many more people needed to die in his name before Washijou could finally set him free?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who were Tendou fans... forgive me (does kneeling bow on all fours). I had already intended for him to die in the beginning, way before writing this. I kinda wanted him to have his moment where he goes with a bang and also confesses his love to Ushijima, and leaving him shellshocked. And yes, he had a crush on Ushijima ever since he became a Tribute and got crowned Victor but knew he didnt stand a chance against Semi so he never tried to act on his love. 
> 
> I know there were like three deaths in just two chapters but sorry!!! Forgive me!!!! 
> 
> Next chapter : Thursday.


	22. Chapter 22

Sakusa led them through the quiet streets until they came to what appeared to be a pet shop. The curtains were drawn but the sounds of squeaking animals inside could be heard, Saksua reaching out to rap his knuckles on the glass door that had the words “Komori’s Weasel Kingdom” written in golden italics when the door swung open, revealing a man about a head shorter than Sakusa with light brown hair and oddly shaped round eyebrows.

“Kiyoomi! Long time no see! I thought you were dead!” the man yelped as he flung himself onto Sakusa, not seeming to care that the man smelt like the sewers as Sakusa quickly peeled him off and asked everyone to enter the shop. The man quickly stepped inside as the ragtag group filed in, Sakusa turning to lock the door behind him as Iwaizumi stared at the inside of the shop.

He had known that Capitol citizens loved their pets but this was too much. Anything from portable homes to clothing for pets, specifically for weasels covered every inch of the shop, a large chandelier with crystals the shape of, yes, you guess it, weasels, hung from the ceiling. In the corner of the room were lavish miniature rooms holding a weasel each, complete with heating and a bed so plush it could buy several houses in the Seam back in District 12.

“Sorry for barging in Motoya, but we don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Nah it's fine. I’m just glad my favourite cousin is alive and well,” Komori grinned as he patted his cousin on the back, Atsumu raising an eyebrow as Komori laughed, “Ah, don’t worry, I get it all the time. People used to think we were dating back in school given we stuck to each other like glue all the time and don’t even have the same surname. Wait a sec, aren’t you the famous TV host who went rogue?” Atsumu gave a tight-lipped smile as Komori whooped, moving to snatch a book from his drawer for his autograph when Sakusa cleared his throat, “Hate to interrupt, but Ushijima here is badly injured and needs some medical attention. You do have experience operating animals right?”

“Ushijima isn’t an animal, but I can try. Let me see… wow, that looks nasty,” Komori whistled as he hustled the group further to his shop. He pulled aside a bunch of curtains and led them into what appeared to be a styling room, reaching underneath a carpet to yank open a trapdoor.

“I will bring down supplies for you guys. Get comfortable for the time being will ya? Kiyoomi, clean Ushijima’s wound the best you can. I hope it hasn’t gotten infected yet,” Komori ordered as he closed the trapdoor on the group, engulfing them in darkness until Sakusa flicked on the lights to reveal a rather stylish underground hideout. There was a plush velvet bed with several animal fur sofas laid around the room, including a kitchenette and a bathroom. Atsumu rushed into the bathroom to pee as well as throw up the contents of his stomach, Sakusa getting to work in cleaning Ushijima’s wound when Komori came back with the medical supplies.

“This is gonna sting,” he murmured as he began to apply medicine to the wound, Ushijima letting out a hiss as he bit into the leather belt Komori had stuffed into his mouth to prevent him from screaming. The Victor shivered as Komori disinfected and treated it before slowly beginning the process of stitching it up, muttering about having to send him to a proper hospital to treat it properly.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa crashed into the corner of the room on one of the love seats, Oikawa curling into Iwaizumi as he promptly fell asleep. All the adrenaline running through his body earlier left him drained and exhausted, falling asleep as soon as he laid down as Matsukawa watched the two of them. The atmosphere in the room was silent, Tendou’s absence hanging over them as Komori finally spoke out.

“I don’t know if you had heard it, but there is a mandatory evacuation for Capitol citizens to move to the President’s mansion. I’m not going to go but if you want to take out Washijou, that would be your best shot.” Iwaizumi’s eyebrows shot up as Komori grinned, “I know about you, been trying to help the rebels the best I can from my end. If there is anyone who can blow that stupid all farts head sky high, that would be you.”

“I don’t know what to do anymore. I had so many people get killed. Tendou. Aran. Hoshiumi…”

“That doesn’t mean you have to let their deaths be in vain. People have to die eventually, it just depends on when and how they die. And I don’t believe by a long shot that they died in vain. I believe they chose to die for the cause. For you,” Komori smiled as he finished stitching up Ushijima’s wound. The Victor thanked him as he moved to wash up, his body wobbling as Sakusa moved to help him.

“So, are you going to go?” Sakusa asked as Iwaizumi nodded. There wasn’t anything left to do, was there? It was kill or be killed right now. They were so close to the end of these Games, about high time he let it go with a bang.

“I will go. but I will go alone. I’m not going to drag anyone into this damn mess with me,” Iwaizumi said as he felt Oikawa shift underneath him. The Tribute’s eyes were opened as he gripped his hand, squeezing it the best he could as Oikawa whispered, “I’m going to go with you.”

“No. you still have to recover from what happened down in the sewers.”

“But I don’t want you to leave me.”

  
“Stay here. If anything happened to you…” _I would rather die._

A hand clamped itself onto Iwaizumi’s shoulder as Matsukawa grinned down at the two of them, his trident strapped on his back as he said, “I will keep this idiot alive for you. Just stay here with Sakusa, Atsumu and Ushijima.”

“I should go as well,” Ushijima grunted as Komori clicked his tongue, “And get more wounds or bleed to death? Not a chance.” Komori gave the man’s arm a whack as emphasis, Ushijima wincing at the contact as Komori stood up, stripping his hands off bloody gloves and tossing them into the bin before moving to scrub off excess blood.

“While you are out there, you’re going to need these.”

…

After a hurried and tearful goodbye from the rest of the team, Matsukawa and Iwaizumi found themselves walking amongst the crowd of Capitol citizens now clambering to get to the President’s mansion. It was surprising to see the normally noisy Capitol citizens now quiet and obediently following orders, although Iwaizumi was sure that it was because several Peacekeepers loomed above their heads pointing guns at their heads.

Iwaizumi has his bow hidden underneath the thick cloak he wore while Matsukawa had his trident at hand along with a gun. Iwaizumi held onto his bow tightly as they shuffled forward, praying that none of the Capitol citizens would see and recognise them when he saw some Peacekeepers beginning to randomly check some people, pulling off their hoods to check their faces.

“Shit,” Matsukawa swore as they turned back, trying to head back where they came from when they saw Peacekeepers approaching them, doing the same to random people as Iwaizumi clicked his tongue. As if things couldn’t get any worse now, they were forced to move forward once more, Matsukawa’s face indicating he was itching to have a weapon in hand when a missile shot into one of the buildings, causing it to collapse as screams erupted around.

“Run for it!” Matsukawa yelled as they surged forward, ignoring the yells and screams that plagued the air as people began to scramble for the gates. Several gunshots filled the air as rebels began to shoot, Peacekeepers and citizens alike falling to the ground as they were shot. Iwaizumi didn’t dare turn back as more bombs rained over their heads, sending debris scattering over their heads and knocking people to the ground.

“Hey, Iwaizumi! Listen to me!” Matsukawa yelled as he snatched Iwaizumi’s arm. A bomb went off in front of them, a statue exploding into pieces as they were thrown back onto the ground. Matsukawa grunted as he gripped onto Iwaizumi, giving the boy’s face a good slap as he yelled, “Make sure you get to the gates! I will cover you! Go!” He whipped off his cloak, brandishing his trident as he whirled it in front of him, keeping several Peacekeepers at bay as Iwaizumi ran forward. He flung himself across the barricade as he climbed over, pushing past the crowd as people screamed to be let in. Right at the head of the crowd, he could see children being passed forward, an announcer’s cold voice speaking over their heads as his body ran cold.

Children. They were using children as a shield. Just how cruel could the president be?

Parents screamed and cried as their children were snatched away from them, children of all ages trying to get back to their parents as Peacekeepers snatched them away. The children were slowly being brought into the mansion, the gates beginning to yawn open when the sound of a Capitol jet filled the air, followed by the familiar sound of packages being dropped into the Arena filled the air. Iwaizumi looked up to see dozens of packages being dropped on parachutes, fluttering to the earth as people reached out to grab them. Iwaizumi couldn’t help but take a step back when he realised what was coming, opening his mouth to let out a scream when the first person touched a package, causing it to explode.

Iwaizumi cried out as he was flung onto his back, slamming onto cold concrete as his ears rang. Dirt covered his eyes as he tried to get up, his body shaking from disorientation as he saw people trying to scramble to their feet and running from the scene. Bodies littered the ground, Iwaizumi trying to choke back his puke when he saw that most of them were the children that had been passed forward. One child was being carried by a man, tears streaming down his face as he screamed desperately for help.

“Medic! We need medics!” he cried out as Iwaizumi turned to see several rebels surging forward with medical kits. He didn’t have time to react when he saw a familiar mop of dark hair dashing past him, her face facing forward as she quickly knelt down to help one of the wounded. Mrs Iwaizumi’s hands worked quickly as she reached out to help the child, her hand moving to touch them when a familiar voice cut through Iwaizumi’s thoughts, snapping him out of it as Oikawa screamed, “Iwa-chan, get back!”

Iwaizumi could only turn when the second wave of explosions hit, a wave of heat and fire enveloping the medics on the scene as he felt himself being thrown back. He cried out as he saw his mother getting enveloped by the flames, his body being clutched onto by someone as they propelled backwards, just inches away from the explosion when Iwaizumi realised what had just happened.

“Oikawa! Hey, Oikawa, wake up!” he yelled as he saw Oikawa hanging onto his body, his arms still wrapped around him as he slowly peeled him off. The other boy was unmoving as Iwaizumi gently pried him off, gasping when he saw the red covering his hand as he held his best friend in his arms. He almost didn’t register the tears and how hoarse his voice was from crying as Matsukawa rushed towards them, shouting at him to let go of Oikawa was he felt a hand connect with the back of his head, sending him into a wave of darkness as the last of his tears spilt out.

…

What had possessed Oikawa to go running after Iwaizumi was beyond him. he hadn’t even taken a coat to cover his head as he rushed out, the sound of gunfire and explosions rocking the ground as people scattered in a panic. Oikawa tried to ignore the shouts of people around him as he ran forward, shouting for his best friend when he finally crossed the barricade to see the ground exploding before him, sending the people before the gates tumbling to the ground or getting blown to pieces. Oikawa coughed as he surged forward, ignoring the smell of burnt flesh and soot entering his eyes when he spotted a single body rising from the ground, his bow slung on his back as Oikawa screamed his name.

“Iwa-chan,” he yelled when he saw the first of the medics going in, Iwaizumi standing numbly in the crowd as Oikawa pushed past to get him. None of the Rebels of even Peacekeepers seemed to be bothering about him, the Peacekeepers still in a daze over what had happened as he reached out to Iwaizumi when he sensed something was very wrong.

The next thing he knew, he was wrapping Iwaizumi in his arms and trying to push him out of harm’s way, the ground exploding underneath their feet for the second time as fire roared into the sky. Oikawa didn’t have time to scream as he felt the fire burning his back and his body connecting to the ground, the ringing in his ears never ceasing even as he was sucked into a dreamless sleep.

Even if he had to die a second time, at least he was able to save Iwaizumi’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for making Oikawa suffer even more even though he has suffered enough... Initially I wanted Matsun to be the one throwing himself over Iwaizumi but I thought heck, Oikawa would be the one who wanted to protect his best friend right?


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a crazy ephipany last night whilst watching Junjou Romantica about trying to get my book published. Went crazy last summer in trying to write several novels and all of them being rejected one after another just killed my spark for writing until I got back into writing. While I don't mind having to bear the costs for publishing and all of that, I keep wondering if people would even want to read it and if it is even worth putting it out there only for people to tear it down if they got their hands on it. Just feel so down about it since I don't have much confidence in my writing... even my fan fiction writing is going a little bit downhill at the moment but oh well... just a thought about IRL (which sucks so bad arghhh!!!).
> 
> I really don't know what to do with myself. Career choices don't seem to be the best at the moment and just looking at how everything is going to the dumps in the world ain't helping either... I just hate myself as a human being so much sometimes with how I can't just survive in the world on my own.
> 
> Sorry about my ranting but just needed to get it out of my system, had a pretty emotional night about it.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy.

Oikawa was not waking up. Several days after the explosion that rocked the nation, the country was still in a state of chaos, Rebels flooding into the city to uphold order and citizens across Panem demanding for President Washijou to be put down.

Oikawa had saved him from the worst of the blast by shielding him with his own body. The burns in his back were severe, requiring intense medical attention and now, he was hooked up to a machine after being put in a medically induced coma that he had yet to wake up from. His own mother watched her son as she rubbed circles in his hands, unable to look at Iwaizumi in the eye for what remained unspoken among them.

With his mother gone, Iwaizumi was an orphan without a family or a place to return home to. While the older Oikawa had mentioned in the past that he was always welcomed to their home, Iwaizumi didn’t even know if he could return to District 12 where everything had both began and ended for him. Returning to an empty home would just make the pain worse for him once he realises that he couldn’t even lay his mother to rest considering she was obliterated into tiny pieces.

Iwaizumi spent day after day by Oikawa’s side, sitting as he whispered to him about what was happening around the country. He didn’t think that Oikawa would actually enjoy listening to such horrible stories of people getting executed for their crimes but he didn’t know what else to talk to other than filling him in on what had happened because two boys decided to defy the odds and win the Games together.

So many had died because of them.

The country was in chaos because of them.

Was all the pain and suffering worth it at the costs of so many innocents to behead a single monster?

Iwaizumi had been put in a room in the ex-presidential mansion, which now served as their base of communications. When he had first recovered, Matsukawa, who had somehow managed to survive the skirmish had led him up to one of the rooms, telling him to get some rest for what was to come. That didn’t stop him from going to visit Oikawa at any chance he got since he had nothing to do anyways, their former mentor watching as Iwaizumi sat by Oikawa’s side.

On the fourth day of his stay, Iwaizumi regained enough strength to begin walking around the grounds. Over the course of a few days, the Capitol had been turned into a sea of white, snow blanketing the expanse of the grounds. Iwaizumi lifted his hand, letting the snowflakes drop onto his hand to melt before clenching it tight, remembering all the harsh winters he had gone to with his family and of the rare occasions they sat around a small tree drinking hot chocolate. The snow crunched under his feet as he walked into the gardens, the large trees covered with snow as a large greenhouse loomed ahead. Iwaizumi shivered in his coat as he saw two guards approaching him, guarding the man who was responsible for reigning the country in terror for the past half a century sealed behind those walls.

“You aren’t authorised to be here,” one of them snapped, his fingers instinctively curling around the trigger of his gun when a voice called out, halting them in their tracks.

“Let him pass. He has the right to do so,” a voice said as Iwaizumi turned to see Utsui standing behind him on the snow covered steps. The old man grinned at him as he waved, sporting a rifle on his back as the two soldiers bowed in apology before letting him in. Iwaizumi nodded as he stepped inside, the warmth of the greenhouse nearly drenching him in sweat as the doors slammed shut behind him, the guard’s gazes never once leaving him as his eyes fell on a single white rose hidden in the bushes. He reached out to pluck the rose, twirling it in his fingers as a man chuckled in the background, a single shape moving from the shadows as Iwaizumi instinctively reached out for his bow only to find it wasn’t on his back.

“Ah, the Mockingjay has returned,” Washijou smirked as he emerged from the shadows. He wore a crisp white suit, his smile etched on his face as he held a single rose in his hand, bringing it to his nose as he took a whiff of its scent.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? White is sure a pure colour, untainted by the world,” he grinned just as he dissolved into a fit of coughing, clutching his stomach as red speckled the white rose. Its petals now glowed a bright red, the former president coughing as he wiped his lips with a handkerchief before turning to smile at Iwaizumi.

So the rumours of him being ill were true.

“First of all, I do apologise for your mother’s death.”

“Don’t be. You’re the one who killed her.”

“On the contrary, I wasn’t the one to release those bombs. In fact, I was about to issue our surrender when President Kita decided to drop them on those innocent citizens. I am not one to kill children without purpose, especially those of the Capitol. Do you really think I would stoop so low to kill children that wish to live just like that?”

_You’ve killed thousands of children for decades for sport. What are you talking about sparing them now when they’re just a way to keep you alive?_

“President Kita would not do something like that?”

“Oh, won’t he? He is more cunning than you might think. Sending the bombs, sending in the medics knowing that the bombs could still go off, who did you think came up with the concept? He may have been underground his entire life but make no mistake, Kita Shinsuke is a man who knows how to get what he wants and to sway others to his side.” Washijou laughed as he handed the rose to Iwaizumi, a small smile playing on his lips as the man smiled.

“Congratulations on winning the 76th Hunger Games, Iwaizumi Hajime of District 12.”

…

“Iwaizumi, I can explain…”

“Explain what, Moniwa? That you created those bombs and dropped it on innocents? Children even? Not even one of them survived the blast and you know it!” Iwaizumi snapped as the techie flinched. Moniwa stood in his room, his hand wringing as he tried to stop himself from shaking. The inventor had no idea that his bombs would be use for something so horrific and now that he knew that Kita had lied to him about using the bombs on Peacekeepers, he was now feeling the guilt of killing innocent people on his shoulders.

“I know that there is no way to redeem myself and that you will never forgive me. But I am truly, truly sorry for what happened to your mother.” Moniwa got to his knees, bending his body low as he did a bow, his forehead touching the ground as Matsukawa shifted from his corner of the room, the tension in the room getting uncomfortable as he slowly took Moniwa’s arm and guided him back up.

“You couldn’t have known. We all played into his hands in the end. It wasn’t your fault, Moniwa-kun.”

“No. Its my fault. I killed so many innocent people,” Iwaizumi grunted as Matsukawa sighed, his arm still on a sobbing Moniwa as he scowled, “If you want to be all emotional about it, get your ass out of here and go to the meeting right now. I don’t think Oikawa would want to see you in such a mess at this point. Not even your mother. You think she would appreciate her son blaming himself for everything that had happened until he dies?” Matsukawa didn’t wait for a reply as he walked out and slammed the door behind him, the walls not shaking for once as their footsteps retreated down the hall. Iwaizumi slowly raised himself from his chair, going to the mirror to take a good look at himself after the events of the day before giving himself a good slap in the face.

He looked like shit but he better didn’t act like shit.

He grabbed his jacket and marched out of the room towards the main meeting room, throwing open the doors to see the other Victors seated around a circular table. Semi and Ushijima sat together next to Kita, Matsukawa and Moniwa occupying the other side as Iwaizumi took his place right across from Kita. The man had a small smile playing on his lips, his hands clasped in front of him as he began the meeting.

“Welcome to our first meeting. I trust you all have had a good rest. Thank you for coming after the events that had happened.” Not a single ounce of sadness or pity dripped in his voice as Iwaizumi shuddered, wondering how could someone order the deaths of thousands just to get a single man to surrender?

Kita Shinsuke might just be as much of a murderer as Washijou Tanji.

“I have gathered all of you here today to ask for a vote on a new proposition. Tonight, when we execute Washijou Tanji for his crimes against Panem and humanity, we will also be announcing the start of a special Hunger Games.” Silence sank around the room as Moniwa slammed a hand on the table, his eyes livid as he snapped, “Are you mad?! After everything we’ve been through, you want to start another Hunger Games, this time with the children of the Capitol? How sick can you be?”

Kita merely shrugged in his seat as he leaned forward, his grey eyes scanning their faces as he spoke, “You are all aware of what the Capitol has done. This is our chance to show the suffering inflicted on us. However, this will not be done if the majority vote against it. I leave it to you Victors to decide the outcome. Everyone must vote.”

The silence in the room was heavy as Moniwa sat back down, his fists clenching as Ushijima raised a hand, his face impassive as ever as his other hand rested in a sling, “I vote for it. An eye for an eye. A life for a life.”

“Wakatoshi… you can’t be serious. Tendou would want this to happen,” Semi protested as his husband shook his head, “I do not want to do this either but if it is for justice for Tendou’s sacrifice, I will do it.” Semi hung his head as his husband’s hand fell, gulping as he voted a no.

“I won’t be letting children go into an Arena and die ever again.”

“I vote against it,” Moniwa blurted as all eyes turned to Iwaizumi, the boy flexing his fingers underneath the table as Kita asked, “Mockingjay, your call.” Iwaizumi gritted his teeth as he thought of Oikawa now lying motionless in the medical bay, his back burnt with scars that will never heal. He wanted revenge for all of those who had died, for the innocent children thrown into the arena.

“Kageyama. Hinata. Sugawara. Yachi. Daichi. Goshiki. Shirabu. Daishou. Kugiri. Nekomata-san. All the lives of these precious people, snatched away because of one man. If you give me the honor of killing him with my own arrow, I will agree to the new Hunger Games.” Matsukawa opened and closed his mouth as Kita smiled, his finger curling as he smiled, “I will allow you the honor of shooting President Washijou yourself.” Iwaizumi gave a nod as Matsukawa gulped, all eyes now on him as he sighed.

“I am with the Mockingjay on this one. All those who died deserve justice.” The name Hanamaki Takahiro hung unspoken in the air as Kita nodded, reaching to raise the glass of wine laid out across the table in front of the Victors as he smiled.

“To a new era and new Hunger Games.”

Iwaizumi tried not to think he was swallowing blood as he drank the wine, his stomach sinking into a pit as he swallowed.

Would Oikawa ever forgive him for what he was about to do?


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oya øya øya? We're at the second last chapter guys!!! Next one will be an epilogue so look forward to that!!!

Iwaizumi stood in front of the long mirror in his room, staring at the outfit that had been picked out for him by Atsumu as the older twin hung around in the background. Osamu held the bow and arrow that Iwaizumi was going to shoot Washijou with in his hands, the look in his eyes unreadable as Iwaizumi gave a low chuckle.

“Don’t stare at me like that. Its making me feel weird.” Osamu groaned as he walked forward, hooking the quiver onto Iwaizumi’s back before trying to smooth out imaginary wrinkles from his clothes as Iwaizumi looked at him from the mirror.

“I heard about the vote, of you wanting to hold another Hunger Games.”

“Do you think its right, doing the same thing to your people as you did to ours?”  
  


“I couldn’t care less to be honest. The Capitol is full of idiots who need a reality check. Although doing something other than having another bloodbath would be a good idea,” Osamu muttered as he spun Iwaizumi around, giving the Victor a pat on the cheek before moving to give him a hug. His breath ghosted his ear as he whispered into it, Iwaizumi shuddering as Osamu whispered.

“Make sure you hit the right target.”

Osamu left him as Iwaizumi shuddered, standing in front of the mirror until he finally managed to move. instead of going to the car waiting outside, he found himself back in the medical bay where Oikawa still lay, his eyes closed as he breathed through a breathing tube. The Victor gently pushed away Oikawa’s locks as he gripped Oikawa’s hand, bringing it up to kiss it as he whispered.

“Hey, Shittykawa. Today, I’m going to have to kill Washijou. I don’t even know what am I doing anymore. Am I just a piece of everyone’s games, or am I my own person? All I know for sure is that after this, nothing will ever be the same again. But one thing remains for sure, once this is over, I will never leave your side ever again. So, please. Come back to me, Tooru.” Iwaizumi bent down and kissed Oikawa’s forehead before moving to kiss him gently on the lips, letting himself stay with his lover for a while longer before parting. He turned to give one last glance to the Tribute before making his way out, not noticing the single twitch in Oikawa’s fingers as the doors slammed shut behind him.

…

The ride to the Avenue of Tributes was silent, Osamu moving to stand with the rest of the Capitol citizens while Iwaizumi made the trek down. The gates to the Avenue yawned open, the sound of drums meeting his ears as he walked forward. Behind the row of drummers stood rows of Rebels, all of them surging in to follow his lead as he walked towards the balcony where Kita, now Interim president of Panem now stood. The smile on the man’s face was cold as the crowd surged forward, the Victors already standing in front of two large flames that stood guard of one man bound by chains onto a white marble pillar.

President Washijou’s face never faltered as he smiled at Iwaizumi, watching as the Victor finally came to a halt as each of his fellow Victors gave him nods. Ushijima and Semi held each other’s hands, nodding as Moniwa and Matsukawa did the same. Iwaizumi clutched his bow tight as Kita raised his hands into the air, his voice booming across the Avenue as it carried through the air.

“Welcome, citizens of Panem, to a new Panem. After much sacrifice and injustice, we are now finally able to come to a new era where justice will be served to those who have done us wrong. Tonight, we witness the execution of the man who has killed thousands in the name of peace, President Washijou Tanji!” The crowd roared and clapped as shouts rang in the air, all chanting to kill Washijou as the former president merely looked on.

“Tonight, we finally serve justice to those who died in this conflict. Tonight, we mark a new era where we will be able to live in peace.

I welcome the Mockingjay, the very symbol of freedom itself to do the honor of ending Washijou’s life. Iwaizumi Hajime, if you will.” The smile on Kita’s lips grew ever wider as he spread his arms wide, beckoning Iwaizumi forward as the Victor took a deep breath. He reached into his quiver like many times before to draw out an arrow, notching it into his bow as he pulled it back. He took a single breath as he stared into the eyes Washijou, the former president smirking as Iwaizumi raised his bow and let the arrow fly, the arrow imbedding itself into Kita’s chest as the man fell to the ground lifeless several feet below.

The crowd went wild as Washijou began to laugh, Iwaizumi not stopping as soldiers hooked their arms underneath him and dragged him away from the Avenue. The crowd began to chant death threats to Washijou as they surged forward, Washijou’s laugh still ringing even as he was pummelled to death as Iwaizumi finally let his bow clatter to the ground.

…

“Eh?” Kita thought as he felt the arrow pierce through his heart. Slowly, the blood stopped flowing through his body, his body growing cold as he fell down, not even feeling his head collide with the concrete as scarlet began to bleed from his wound. His body grew colder as his breath hitch, nothing but cold wrapping his body as he heard a single voice filled his ears.

“Shin-chan.”

“Granny?” he called out, his lips barely moving as his grandmother’s voice smiled down at him, “Shin-chan.”

“Granny, what did I do wrong? I was trying to save Panem but instead… am I going to die?” he whispered, his heart beat slowing down as he felt a gentle hand running through his hair.

“Shin-chan, close your eyes now and rest. You’ve worked so hard, my boy.” Kita didn’t speak anymore as the light left his eyes, the last of his breath leaving his lips as he felt his soul fly up into the heavens where he wouldn’t have to feel hurt ever again.

Perhaps with death, he had truly gained the freedom he wanted for so long.

…

_Oikawa sat in a grassy field, watching as the birds flew high in the sky as the sun shone beyond the clouds. He raised a hand to run his fingers through his hair, his body feeling so much lighter and more refreshed than ever before as a shadow covered his body._

_“Hey, what you doing here sitting down like a sap?” a voice asked as a mop of bright pink hair entered his vision. The boy was around his age, his sleepy eyes smirking away as a grin formed on his face. The boy plopped onto the grass next to him, sighing as he let the sun kiss his face as he grinned._

_“Where am I?”_

_  
“The afterlife, heaven, I dunno.”_

_“So am I dead?”_

_“Only if you want to,” the pink haired boy grinned as another figure appeared in front of him, a mop of silver hair coming into view as Oikawa’s voice stuck in his throat._

_“Suga-chan?” he whispered as Suga appeared in front of him, a boy with black hair and a stoic build behind him followed by a guy with a goatee. The three of them smiled at him as Suga grinned, his hands now interlaced with the other two boy’s fingers as he smiled, “As much as I want to have fun with you here, your man needs you back on earth.”_

_“That’s right. Your time hasn’t come yet,” another voice joined in as a boy with black curly hair and gun metal blue eyes joined him, a boy with silver and black hair wrapping his arms around his waist to give him a peck on the head. Akaashi smiled as Bokuto grinned down at him, pulling him in for a hug as a ball of orange darted past, “Kageyama! Don’t be an idiot and come here!”_

_“Boke. Don’t run so fast!” Kageyama yelled as Oikawa choked back a sob, watching as the two boys sped towards them as Hinata yelled, “Kageyama has something to say to you!”  
  
_

_“Don’t leave Iwaizumi-san alone! I know you two had to do it to live so I don’t blame you for my death! So stop moping around and go home,” Kageyama snapped as Oikawa felt tears running down his cheeks._

_“Oya oya? Cat caught your tongue? We’re happy up here anyways so you kinda did us a favour,” a boy with a nasty bedhead appeared with a puddinghead boy under his arm. The boy appeared to be playing videogames, his hair framing his face as Oikawa gaped, “How the hell did this guy made it to heaven?!”_

_“Let’s just say love wins,” Kuroo grins as Kenma muttered, “Sorry for last time, Akaashi. Kuroo. Bokuto.”_

_“Hey hey hey, we’re all dead now so it doesn’t make a difference anyways,” Bokuto laughed as Akaashi nailed him in the stomach. Oikawa sniffled as Suga stepped towards him, moving to give him a hug as he whispered, “Go home to your man. He’s waiting for you.”_

_  
“Oh and don’t forget to say hi to Matsukawa for me. That idiot needs to get a boyfriend, he’s too freaking old to die alone,” pink haired grinned as Oikawa’s eyes widened, “Wait, are you?”_

_“The one and only, Hanamaki Takahiro,” Hanamaki gave him a bow as he smirked, moving to give Oikawa a flick on the forehead._

_“Go on home. Your knight in shining armour is waiting.”_

_“Wait guys! I still have to…”_

_“We all forgive you! Now, go home!” all of the former Tributes shouted as Oikawa felt his world go white and his body falling through the air._

Oikawa slowly opened his eyes to see Iwaizumi seated beside him, tears filling his eyes when he saw the smile on Iwaizumi’s face. His lover gently picked up his hand and brought it to his lips, giving him a soft kiss as Oikawa rasped, “Did we do it?”

“Yes, we did it. We won the Hunger games, Tooru.”

Oikawa smiled as Iwaizumi moved to wrap himself in his grasp, not caring about his body aching as he pulled him in for a kiss. Iwaizumi held him like he was holding onto glass, caressing his body so gently Oikawa could have melted as they clung onto each other.

After so long, they could finally step off the train and go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all of you Kita fans, forgive me!!!! I knew I had to choose between keeping him alive or killing him off but after all the horrors committed during the series, I felt this was the only way to go. It broke my heart having to write it, sorry!!!!
> 
> Final chapter is out on Saturday!!!


	25. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will add an authors note in another chapter in the end but I just wanted to write about the passing of one of the best actors ever to bring a Marvel character to life; Chadwick Boseman, who plays T'Challa in the Black Panther film. Its insane to hear the first thing in the morning on how this amazing actor has passed and to imagine he had been performing whilst having cancer since 2016 and bringing one of the most iconic characters to life during those four years just broke my heart even more.
> 
> T'Challa forever! Wakanda forever! May you rest with your ancestors in the plains of peace.
> 
> With that, here is the final chapter to the series of Kings of the Arena.

**Several years later…**

The sound of the bell ringing for lunchtime sounded in the air, the children running into the large dining hall as Iwaizumi’s voice boomed across the room, “Oi, hooligans! Don’t go running into the dining hall unless you want to trip into the food!”

“Sorry, Iwa-chan-san!” everyone called as Iwaizumi sighed, wishing that Oikawa had just stopped calling him Iwa-chan in front of the kids. Now, all of them had gotten into the habit of adding -san at the back of his name, infuriating him to no end and making Oikawa peel with laughter until Iwaizumi decided to stick a knuckle into his pressure point.

Oikawa now stood behind the long table, slowly serving bowls of soup to the kids as each one of them lined up. For some reason, all of them listened to Oikawa but not to Iwaizumi; they often tried to get on his nerves and drive him up the wall. As much as he loved the kids, he wished they could be the slightest bit more obedient and not follow Oikawa’s teachings in becoming little monsters.

Once lunch was done, the kids dispersed to do their chores around the orphanage. Iwaizumi hauled a large basket of clothes to be hung out, some children trailing behind him as he set the basket down.

“Got your stools?” he called as the kids hollered, brandishing their stools like weapons as they set them down and clambered up, Iwaizumi helping some of them as he handed them some clothes. It was a gorgeous day to be outside; the orphanage overlooked the fields of District 12, the sunflowers and primroses now blooming in the sun as Iwaizumi took in a breath of fresh air.

Underneath those fields lay the bones of those who had died in the air raid on District 12. After the war, volunteers had finally laid the bodies to rest and after many years, the field had taken over with wildflowers, hiding the mass grave from sight. Even though the children played there every day, they never once did question what lay beneath the soil, of those who never had the chance to live as they had.

After the war, Iwaizumi and Oikawa had returned to District 12 and set up an orphanage. With many children parentless and nowhere to go, they took it upon themselves to set up shop in the outskirts of the District in an old abandoned church building. With the support of the Capitol and their friends, they made a functioning orphanage that could accommodate around 40 children. It wasn’t many but the two of them already had an armful dealing with so many boisterous boys and girls.

Osamu and Suna would drop by one in a while, Osamu wielding trays upon trays of onigiri. After he and Suna had tied the knot, Osamu had opened up Onigiri Miya, an onigiri restaurant that served out fresh onigiri to people all over Panem. Once a week, he would do rounds around all of the Districts, handing out food to those who needed it and donating supplies to orphanages such as the one Iwaizumi and Oikawa had across the country. Suna had been promoted to one of the higher-ups in the new council under the leadership of Utsui, who had been sworn in as President of Panem after the chaos of the failed execution had died down.

Atsumu and Sakusa had also settled into their new lives in the Capitol as a couple. Whilst Sakusa was leading efforts in rebuilding parts of the country and providing more accessible resources to people, Atsumu was running an orphanage for Capitol children who had lost their parents during the war. As noisy and childish as the man was, he was surprisingly good with his job, with him even getting help from his inlaws once in a while and his annoyed husband.

Ushijima and Semi returned to District 2 and began a new training regimen for security. While Ushijima was the one running most of the training operations in the District, Semi set up a school for children as well as teaching them basic weapons training. Even though the war was over, they could never know if outside forces would ever try to come after them. Semi eventually changed his name to Ushijima and they even had another wedding with their families present, Ushijima’s father sobbing as he watched them tie the knot for the second time.

Matsukawa was now hopping around the country helping with the orphanages. He would stick to one district for a month before moving on to the next, completing all 12 districts in a year before starting the cycle again. Moniwa was in the Capitol setting up new computer systems and coming up with ways to improve living situations in the Districts, finding solace behind his computer and in his lab.

“Oi, Iwa-chan! Help me bring the picnic basket over! It's heavy!” Oikawa called as a bunch of children streamed after him, all of them running to the fields for their little excursion. Iwaizumi quickly helped the kids finished the laundry before joining the others in the fields, the kids quickly beginning a game of tag as the two men sat under the shade. After taking care of the kids, the only thing they wanted to do was to rest and relax. Iwaizumi found himself lying on his back, staring at the trees above him as Oikawa looked down at him, smiling as they intertwined their fingers before turning to watch the kids.

“You think we would ever tell them about the war, of the field and what it is?” Oikawa wondered as Iwaizumi laughed, “Who knows? Maybe. We never know.” Oikawa gently pressed a kiss on the golden band on his finger, the cold metal cool against his mouth as he smirked. He continued peppering kissed along his hand before moving to his neck, Iwaizumi turning red as he stammered about the kids finding out as Oikawa whispered in his ear.

  
“We can continue playing this game for a while, can’t we?”

Iwaizumi grunted as he pushed Oikawa down onto the picnic blanket, moving to ravish him with kisses as the children shouted how disgusting they were. The two men laughed as they laced their fingers together, moving to run into the field to join their children in their game as the sun shone above their heads.

Life was after all, just a game.

The most they could do was play the best they can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note is in the next chapter!


	26. Author's note

Wow, we've finally made it to the end guys! I can't believe we managed to finish this monster of a series; never attempted to write one before but I am so glad about how it turned out and how you guys enjoyed reading it until the very end!

I didn't think I would write a three-part series for this fanfic. Initially, I just wanted to see how it would be like for both Iwaizumi and Oikawa to go through the Games together. Oikawa was supposed to die in the end saving Iwaizumi and Iwaizumi would have gone on to mentor Kunimi and Kindaichi as the next Tributes for District 12 but we saw how different that turned out haha! Also the reason why so many of our fav characters got killed off immediately was because of this; I thought I was going to just write a single story so I just threw in whoever I liked as a main into the first story fufu.

Just a fun fact on how I named these individual stories; the first one is obvious since they are kings of the court so of course, I went with Kings of the Arena. The second story was named The Strongest Challengers after going crazy about the Inarizaki vs. Karasuno game in the manga and stage play and with all of the Tributes being the strongest there is, this was the most fitting title to name it. As for the final story, Beginnings and Endings was the very first chapter name to the Haikyuu series and I thought it would be fitting to name it after the very first iconic moment where we fell in love with these two boys who were out to conquer the court and beat each other. I started rewatching the series and was trying so hard not to strangle my friend when I saw these boys and think of how far they have gone in life (so proud of them like a parent gahhh!!!!). Super random but this friend also just bought me a Suna and Kita nitotan doll for my graduation gift so over the moon with that yay!!!!

I just want to thank all of you for commenting and leaving kudos for this story! Even though at times this story went without many people reading it, just seeing the hit numbers rising ever so slightly and people leaving a single word or sentence of how much they liked the story motivated me so much to continue writing this even as I hit several slumps along the way. From February until now, this series has been one of the reasons I even managed to stay sane during lockdown and after five months (shit, didn't realise I have been writing this for so long haha!), this journey for our Tributes and favourite boys has finally come to an end I hope you all liked.

Thank you so much for all of your support! The Kings of the Arena series wouldn't have made it to where it was without all of your support!

Now, just going to kick back and enjoy reading some fanfiction. I might be on hiatus from writing after finishing my Thor AU OsaAka series tomorrow but who knows? Might slink back to write more (been in an OsaAka craze fufu so watch out shippers of this duo!).

I just have to say this so here it goes; Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour. After all, life is a game we don't want to play right?

Ave atque vale and until we meet again, sayonara.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for picking up this story! I am in the process of writing several stories as well so if you enjoyed this, you can check out the rest on my profile!
> 
> If you liked this story, please leave some comments and kudos! They really make my day and even though leaving a comment that may even be just a single word or ranting about something, it really spurs me on as a writer knowing that people out there enjoy what I'm writing.
> 
> You can come yell at me on Twitter or Tumblr @runningfromrealitytoanime.


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